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The  Vicar  of  Christ; 


OR, 


LECTURES 


UPON   THE 


OFFICE    AND    PREROGATIVES    OF    OUR 
HOLY  FATHER    THE    POPE. 


BY  THE 


VERY  REV.  THOMAS  S.  PRESTON,  V.G., 

Pastor  of  St.  Ann's  Church,  New  York. 


"Uii  Petrus,  ibi  Ecclesiay 


SECOND     EDITION 


Bew  Yorh  : 
ROBERT  CODDINGTON,  PUBLISHER, 

No.  246  Fourth  Avenue. 


1878. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

REV.  THOMAS  S.   PRESTON, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


LOAN  : 


JOHN  ROSS  &  CO.,  PRINTERS,  27   ROSE  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


Letter  of  Dedication 


P  7 


TO 


HIS    HOLINESS    PIUS    IX. 


Sanctissime  Pater  : 

Humiliter  exponit  minimus  quamquam 
et  devotissimus  unus  de  filiis  Tuis,  ut  sibi 
liceat  ad  pedes  Beatitudinis  Tuse  deponere 
pignus  hoc  exiguum  sui  amoris  erga  Te, 
suae  que  devotionis  erga  fidem  quam  doces 
ac  tueris,  erga  fidem  illam  cujus  causa 
tristitia  Tibi  magna  est,  et  continuus  dolor. 

Ex  quo  enim  illi  datum  est  in  ea 
Domini  vineae  regione  operari,  quam  inimi- 
cus  homo  nititur  erroris  tenebris  undequa- 
que     obscurare,     doctrinam    nullam     potius 


in 


iv  Letter  of  Dedication  to 

praedicandam  aut  fidelium  cordibus  altius 
inserendam  duxit  quam  quae  spectat  ad 
singularia  prorsus  privilegia  Successoris  S. 
Petri,  cui  totius  gregis  Sui  curam,  omnis- 
que  vitae  aeternae  verbi  custodiam  Dei 
Filius  commisit.  Super  illam  siquidem 
solam  petram,  quam  Christus  Dominus 
Noster  Ipse  fundavit  immobilem,  sua 
homini  salus  reperiunda  est,  suaque  popu- 
lis   securitas. 

Pro  multitudine  tribulationum  quae  in 
die  ista  mala  et  amara  invenerunt  Te 
nimis,  Beatissime  Pater,  haec  sane  animam 
Tuam  laetificat  insignis  omnino  consolatio, 
quod  in  nullis  Ecclesiae  diebus  praeteritis 
arctior  unquam  fuerit  capitis  et  membrorum 
nexus,  nullus  tanto  in  amore  tantaque  in 
veneratione  habitus  olim  populi  Christiani 
Pontifex  Summus. 

Ad  pedes  porro  Beatitudinis  Tuae  provo- 


His  Holiness  Pius  IX.  v 

lutus  benedictionem  apostolicam  sibi  sus- 
ccptisquc  pro  animarum  salute  civiumque 
conversione  laboribus,  supplex  orat  atque 
obsecrat  filius   Tuus    devotissimus, 

Thomas   S.    Preston, 
Pastor  Ecclesiae  Sanctae  Annae. 

Neo  Eboraci  die  14a  Decembris, 

A.D.  1871. 


Letter  of  His  Holiness  Pius  IX. 


PIUS    PP.  IX. 

Dilecte    Fili,    Salutem    et    Apostolicam 
Benedictionem  : 

Perlibenter  excepimus  munus  tuum,  Di- 
lecte Fili,  non  modo  quia  jucunde  N  ostris 
in  angoribus  afficimur  testimoniis  religiosae 
devotionis  Nobis  passim  exhibitis  a  chris- 
tiano  populo,  sed  etiam  quia  opportunissi- 
mas  hisce  temporibus  et  perutiles  fidelibus 
ducimus  eas  lucubrationes,  quae  praeroga- 
tivas  et  jura  Christi  Vicarii  propugnant, 
explicant,  illustrant.  Cum  enim  impietas 
diuturna  saeculorum  experientia  edocta  con- 
stanter  frustratas  viderit   et  in  se  conversas 


VI 


Letter  of  His  Holiness  Pius  IX.        vii 

machinationes  adversus  Ecclesiam  institutas ; 
vires  deniquc  universas  intendit  ad  Petram 
illam  subruendam,  cui  divinitiis  Ecclesia 
eadem  fu.it  inacdificata,  futurum  confidens, 
ut  ea  subducta,  ista  sponte  corruerit. 
Incassum  tamen  ;  siquidem  dc  hac  Petra 
merito  praedicari  potest  quod  de  angulari 
lapide  Christo  Jesu,  "  Qui  occiderit  super 
lapidem  istum  confringetur,  super  quem 
vero  occiderit  conteret  eum."  Verum  si  Petra 
commoveri  nequit,  si  Ecclesia  portas  inferi 
non  formidat,  interim  nefariis  artibus  hie  illic 
errorum  tenebrae  mentibus  offunduntur,  de- 
cipiuntur  simplices,  fides  concutitur,  restin- 
guitur  caritas,  unitatis  vincula  laxantur, 
et  non  pauci  e  filiis  Nostris  paratis 
irretiti  laqueis  a  Nobis  abducuntur. 
Gratulamur  itaque,  te  hisce  malis  occurrere 
studuisse  per  opus  tuum  ;  cui  propterea 
fructum     ominamur     amplissimum,     tibique 


viii     Letter  of  His  Holiness  Piits  IX. 

mercedem  zelo  tuo  respondentem  ac  divina 
largitate  dignum.  Caelestis  vero  favoris 
auspicem  et  paternae  Nostrae  benevolen- 
tiae,  gratique  animi  pignus,  Apostolicam 
Benedictionem    tibi    peramanter  impertimus. 

Datum  Romae,  apud  Sanctum  Petrum, 
die  15  Februarii,  Anni  1872.  Pontifi- 
catus  Nostri  anno  Vicesimo  sexto. 

PIUS    PP.   IX. 


ENGLISH  TRANSLATION. 


PIUS  PP.  IX. 

BELOVED    SON,  HEALTH    AND    APOSTOLIC    BENE- 
DICTION : 

We  have  willingly  accepted  your  offer- 
ing, beloved  son,  not  only  because  in  our 
present  sorrows  we  are  greatly  consoled 
by  the  testimonies  of  religious  devotion 
manifested  to  us  by  Christians  throughout 
the  world,  but  also  because  we  judge  most 
opportune  in  these  days,  and  most  useful 
to  the  faithful,  these  treatises  which  defend, 
explain,  and  illustrate  the  prerogatives  and 
rights  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ.  For  while 
impiety,  taught  by  the  experience  of  ages, 
constantly  beholds  its  efforts  against  the 
church     frustrated,    and     its     machinations 

ix 


x  English  Translation. 

turned  against  itself,  it  bends  all  its  ener- 
gies to  destroy  that  Rock  on  which  the 
church  was  divinely  founded,  knowing  well 
that  if  that  Rock  could  be  moved  the 
church  would  instantly  fall.  In  vain,  how- 
ever, are  its  artifices,  for  of  this  Rock  may 
well  be  said  the  words  spoken  concerning 
Jesus  Christ,  the  corner-stone :  "  He  that 
shall  fall  upon  this  rock  shall  be  broken, 
but  upon  whom  it  shall  fall,  it  shall  grind 
him  to  powder."  But  while  the  Rock  can- 
not be  shaken,  while  the  church  fears  not 
the  gates  of  hell,  nevertheless  here  and 
there  the  shadows  of  error  are  thrown  upon 
the  mind  by  nefarious  arts,  the  simple  are 
deceived,  faith  is  weakened,  charity  is  ex- 
tinguished, the  bands  of  unity  are  relaxed, 
and  not  a  few  of  our  children  taken  in 
the  snares  prepared  for  them  are  led  away 
from  us. 


English  Translation.  xi 

We  congratulate  you,  therefore,  that  by 
your  work,  which  we  have  received  with 
favor,  you  have  sought  to  meet  and  avert 
these  evils,  and  we  predict  an  ample  fruit 
to  your  labors,  and  a  reward  correspond- 
ing to  your  zeal  and  worthy  of  the  Divine 
blessing. 

As  an  earnest,  then,  of  the  celestial  fa- 
vor, and  a  pledge  of  our  fatherly  kind- 
ness and  grateful  mind,  we  lovingly  im- 
part  to   you   the   Apostolic    Benediction. 

Given  at  Rome,  at  St.  Peter's,  the  fif- 
teenth day  of  February,  in  the  year 
1872,  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  our 
Pontificate. 

Pius  PP.  IX. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


In  preparing  a  new  edition  of  these  lec- 
tures upon  the  Vicar  of  Christ  it  has 
seemed  proper  to  add  a  few  pages  to  the 
last  chapter,  which  treats  of  the  life  and 
Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.,  and  thus  briefly  to 
close  the  short  biography  of  this  immor- 
tal Pontiff  now  gathered  to  his  blessed 
rest. 

In  the  Appendix  we  have  also  printed 
the  eulogium  written  by  Mgr.  Mercurelli, 
which  was  placed  in  the  tomb  of  our 
venerated  Holy  Father.  This  important 
document  is  well  worth  preserving  in  a 
lasting  form,  and  will  ever  be  interesting 
to  all  Catholics. 

xiii 


xiv        Preface  to  the  Second  Edition. 

We  have  also  published  our  own  dedi- 
cation of  these  lectures  to  His  Holiness, 
and  the  gracious  reply  which  he  conde- 
scended to  give.  While  this  letter  of  Pius 
IX.  is  one  of  the  great  consolations  of 
our  life,  it  will  add  a  new  value  to  our 
humble   labor. 

It  may  be  proper  also  to  say  that  we 
never  presumed  to  claim  for  our  work  the 
merit  of  a  complete  theological  treatise, 
but  only  sought  to  present  a  plain  and 
popular  argument  for  the  prerogatives  of 
the  Vicar  of  Christ.  We  venture  to  hope 
that  our  efforts  will  not  be  altogether  with- 
out fruit.  T.  S.  P. 

Easter,  1878. 


po 


N  T  E   N  T  S  . 


PAGB 

LECTURE  FIRST. 
The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope, TI 


LECTURE  SECOND. 
The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope, 86 

LECTURE  THIRD. 
The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope, ,.396 

LECTURE  FOURTH. 
The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX., .  287 

Appendix,        .       .       .       .       » •       .  379 


PREFACE. 


The  Conferences  which  it  has  been  our 
privilege  to  give  in  S.  Ann's  Church  dur- 
ing the  season  of  Advent,  have  brought 
us  naturally  to  the  subject  of  these  lectures. 
Having  shown  the  essential  unity  of  the 
Christian  church,  the  harmonies  of  reason 
and  revelation,  and  the  necessary  connec- 
tion between  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  mystical  body,  we  are  led  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  prerogatives  of  S.  Peter 
and  his  successors.  The  church,  which 
we  have  proved  to  be  the  instrumentality 
employed  by  our  Redeemer  for  applying 
to  man  the  fruits  of  his  passion  and  death, 
would  be  incomplete  and  unfit  for  its  work 
without  an  infallible  head  and  a  living 
centre  of  unity.  The  words  of  S.  Am- 
brose, which  we  have  placed  upon  our 
title-page,    tell    the    great   truth   which    the 


4  Preface. 

world  needs  to  know  for  its  salvation : 
"  Where  Peter  is,  there  is  the  church " 
— "  Ubi  Petrus,  ibi  ecclesia."  This  truth  is 
the  only  remedy  for  hearts  beguiled  by  sin, 
and  intellects  led  astray  by  pride  or  false 
philosophy.  All  who  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians must  accept  the  words  of  Christ,  and 
the  historical  teaching's  of  Christianity,  or, 
rejecting  both,  fall  a  prey  to  the  ever  in- 
creasing infidelity  of  the  day.  No  form 
of  Protestantism  can  stand  against  the 
logic  of  the  rationalist,  or  defend  its  feeble 
counterfeit  of  revelation.  There  is  only  one 
refuse  for  the  honest  and  sincere.  The 
Word  made  flesh  hath  not  deceived  us 
when  he  built  his  church  upon  a  rock. 

To  this  foundation  let  every  true  heart 
come,  casting  aside  the  prejudices  of  edu- 
cation and  the  bands  of  early  associations, 
and  in  Peter's  faith  find  firmness  and  rest. 
There  is  no  misery  so  great  as  that  of 
those  who  make  their  own  religion,  and 
have  no  support  beyond  themselves  in  the 
day  of  trial.     And  while  infidelity  threatens 


Preface.  5 

all  the  dogmatic  relics  of  the  Lutheran 
Reformation,  and  causes  creeds  of  faith  to 
fade  away  from  formularies  which  have 
long  since  lost  their  binding  power,  the 
spirit  of  revolution  enters  the  domain  of 
law,  and  overturns  the  principles  of  justice, 
on  which  alone  the  state  can  securely 
rest.  The  sacredness  of  the  marriage  tie 
passes  from  the  minds  of  men,  who  forget 
the  duties  of  fathers  and  children,  and  the 
mutual  responsibilities  of  princes  and  peo- 
ple. 

It  behooves  Christians  and  good  citi- 
zens to  look  well  to  the  dangers  which 
threaten  society  before  the  hour  of  ruin 
come,  lest  they,  unawares,  be  found  among 
those  who  seek  to  level  with  the  dust  all 
that  is  dearest  and  most  sacred  to  man. 
Simply  and  briefly  as  we  have  been  obliged 
to  treat  the  subjects  of  these  lectures,  we 
believe  that  we  have  offered  to  the  earnest 
inquirer  an  unanswerable  argument.  So, 
with  the  most  sincere  good-will  to  all,  and 
with  the  love  of  God  constraining  us,   we 


Preface. 


urgently  commend  our  reasoning  to  our 
intelligent  and  honest  countrymen.  Chris- 
tianity must  be  taken,  as  it  has  come 
down  to  us,  from  the  hand  of  its  founder, 
or  be  entirely  abandoned.  The  rejection 
of  any  part  of  revelation  is  logically  the 
rejection  of  the  whole.  Time  will  show 
that  the  truths  we  maintain  are  divine, 
and  demonstrate,  by  the  stern  lessons  of 
experience,  that  Christ  and  his  Vicar  are 
bound  together;  that  the  Papacy  is  the 
keystone  of  the  sacred  arch  which  sus- 
tains both   religion   and  society. 

T.    S.    P. 

New  York,  Feast  of  All  Saints,  1871. 


Lecture  I 


THE  SUPREMACY  OF   THE  POPE. 

"Thou  art  Peter;  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it."— S.  Matthew  xvi.   18,  19. 


|[HE  religious  controversies  of  the 
day,  with  whatsoever  evils  they 
have  been  attended,  have  at  least  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  great  questions  to 
an  issue.  The  result  of  the  Protestant 
principle,  which  applies  the  judgment  of 
private  reason  to  the  intrinsic  credibility 
of  revealed  truth,  has  been  clearly 
manifested.  If  the  rule,  "  By  their  fruits 
you  shall  know  them,"  be  employed, 
then  that  principle  cannot  be  true  which 
renders     revelation     an      impossibility,     by 


1 2  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

taking  from  the  intellect  and  heart  the 
faculty  to  see  objective  truth.  In  the 
early  days  of  Protestantism,  it  was 
common  to  discuss  the  doctrines  re- 
vealed, as  they  had  been  taught  by  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  to  argue  against 
their  truth  as  if  they  were  individual 
propositions  standing  by  themselves,  and 
not  parts  of  one  great  system  which 
could  not  be  broken  in  pieces.  Some 
of  the  reformers,  on  the  eclectic  plan, 
were  willing  to  receive  this  or  that 
portion  of  the  old  creed,  rejecting  other 
articles  which  did  not  suit  their  notions 
of  God.  It  is  possible  thus  to  argue, 
and  even  thus  to  defend  the  parts  of  a 
faith  which  is  true  as  a  whole.  That 
which  is  true  as  a  whole  is  also  true 
in  its  component  parts.  Yet  this  mode 
of    argument    is    far    from    being    satisfac- 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  1 3 

tory ;  nor  is  it  altogether  logical.  In 
all  matters  of  truth  supernatural,  there  is 
really  one  question  to  be  answered: 
"  Has  God,  who  is  the  one  fountain  of 
light,  revealed  them  ? "  If  he  has 
spoken,  then,  whatever  be  the  impres- 
sions produced  upon  our  minds  by  his 
words,  the  truth  remains  firm  and  un- 
alterable. 

Discussions  upon  separate  doctrines,  as 
regards  their  intrinsic  credibility,  which 
were  so  rife  in  the  beginning  of  Protes- 
tantism, led  naturally  to  the  undervaluing 
of  the  doctrines  themselves,  and  then  of 
all  dogma.  It  came  to  be  practically 
admitted  that  points  of  belief  were  really 
of  no  consequence  to  our  ultimate 
destiny,  and  did  not  affect  our  moral 
probation.  Salvation  could  not  be  made 
to   deoend   upon    the    nature   of  our   faith, 


14  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

provided  that  our  lives  were  in  accord- 
ance with  the  divine  law.  As  Christianity 
consists  essentially  of  a  set  of  dogmas, 
and  falls  when  these  dogmas  are  denied, 
so  the  question  is  not  now,  after  three 
centuries  of  varied  struggle,  as  to  the 
truth  or  falsity  of  parts  of  the  Apostolic 
creed,  but  as  to  Christ  himself  and  his 
whole  mission.  The  battle  is  not  now 
so  much  for  doctrines  as  for  the  fact 
of  a  revelation.  Christianity  in  the 
hands  of  the  reformers  has  been  first 
broken  to  pieces,  and  then  hopelessly 
shipwrecked.  The  Catholic  Church  fights 
now  with  open  and  undisguised  infidelity. 
Her  children  hold  the  lance  in  rest  not 
in  a  tournament  for  a  doctrine  or  a 
name,  but  in  a  mortal  encounter,  in 
which  the  existence  of  faith  is  at  stake. 
This    was    ever    the    case,     since,    if    the 


The  Supremacy  of  t/ie  Pope.  15 

pillar  of  truth  be  thrown  down,  there 
remains  no  truth  for  man ;  but  now  the 
world  sees  it,  and  exults  in  it.  So 
much  have  the  controversies  of  our  dav 
proved. 

The  Catholic  Church  alone  teaches  by 
authority,  or  professes  to  speak  in  God's 
name.  Her  voice  is  to  the  world,  "  I 
am  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth "  ; 
"He  that  is  of  God,  heareth  us " ; 
"  Jesus  Christ  is  God  and  man,  the 
redeemer  and  teacher  of  mankind.  He 
established  the  church  that  it  might 
represent  him,  extend  itself  to  all  men, 
and  teach  in  his  almighty  name." 
Protestants,  in  all  their  varied  forms, 
profess  no  power  to  teach.  It  is  their 
peculiarity  to  deny  any  such  power,  and 
to  remit  the  whole  question  of  belief  to 
the    individual   mind.     The    reference    to   a 


1 6  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

book  whose  inspiration  they  cannot 
prove,  and  whose  meaning  is  as  various 
as  the  texture  of  separate  human  intel- 
lects, is  perhaps  the  greatest  insult  to 
the  reason  they  claim  to  defend.  Who 
is  so  short-sighted  as  not  to  see  that 
the  whole  structure  of  Protestant  dog- 
matism,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  is  the 
logical  fallacy  of  "begging  the  question"? 
The  inspiration  of  the  Bible  cannot  be 
proved,  except  by  another  living,  in- 
fallible authority.  The  Bible  cannot 
prove  itself,  nor  can  historical  testimony, 
as  to  the  authenticity  of  its  different 
books,  substantiate  its  divine  character. 
Protestants  are  too  thoughtless  or  too 
dishonest  to  take  notice  of  this  great 
fallacy  in  their  whole  system ;  but  the 
world  has  long  ago  seen  and  pro- 
claimed   it. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  17 

If  you  ask  an  infidel  to  believe  in 
the  authority  of  the  Scriptures,  you 
have  to  offer  him  reasonable  evidence 
of  their  inspiration.  If  you  cannot  do 
this,  you  insult  his  understanding  by 
bringing  them  into  the  controversy.  No 
Protestant  church  can  pretend  to  teach 
infallibly,  and  there  is  no  other  kind 
of  teaching.  Honest  and  sincere  hearts 
have  to  meet  the  question  as  it  is, 
and  say  if  they  are  willing  to  re- 
nounce Christianity  and  an  objective 
revelation,  to  give  up  Christ  and  the 
hopes  of  his  Gospel;  for  to  this  has  it 
come.  They  cannot  hold  logical  con- 
tradictions, form  their  creed  by  their 
own  or  other  people's  minds  out  of  a 
book  which  they  cannot  show  to  be 
the  word  of  God,  or  go  on  for  ever 
taking    for    granted    that    which    they    can 


1 8  The  Stipremacy  of  the  Pope. 

demonstrate  to  no  one.  This  is  actual 
infidelity,  though  masked  under  the  garb 
of   sincerity    or    piety. 

In  these  lectures  we  propose  to  treat 
briefly  and  simply  of  the  great  question 
which  concerns  all  sincere  men.  If  this 
question  be  answered  truly  by  us,  there 
is  no  further  need  of  controversy.  We 
present  no  side  issue,  nor  irrelevant  mat- 
ter. Our  argument  will  only  establish 
the  conclusions  of  reason  and  revelation, 
that  God  is  truth,  that  he  has  spoken 
to  the  wants  of  our  race,  and  that  the 
light  which  he  kindled  shines  clearly 
where  all  may  find  it  who  honestly  seek 
it.  And  if  our  words  are  true,  then  it 
is  the  duty  of  all  men  who  hope  for 
salvation  through  Jesus  Christ  to  hear 
the  voice  by  which  alone  he  speaks,  and, 
disregarding   all    otiier   questions,    and    re- 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  1 9 

nouncing  every  opposing  human  interest, 
to  yield  obedience  to  that  church  which 
is  really  Christ  teaching  and  redeeming 
the    world. 

The  argument  of  this  lecture  is  very 
simple,  and,  to  an  unprejudiced  mind, 
unanswerable. 

I.  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  God,  founded 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  his  veracity,  as 
a    teacher,    is   bound  up  with    this    church. 

II.  Of  this  church  he  made  S.  Peter 
and    his    successors    the    supreme    pastors. 

III.  Christianity  is  therefore  identical 
with  the  church  of  which  S.  Peter  and 
his    successors   are    the    head. 

IV.  The  rejection  of  Christianity  is  the 
actual  rejection  of  natural  religion  and 
the    light   of  reason. 

The  fountains  of  evidence  on  which 
we   rely    are,     first:    facts    which    no    sane 


20  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope, 

man  can  gainsay ;  secondly,  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  which  are  inspired  to  those 
who  are  willing  to  receive  them  as  such, 
and  authentic  to  every  one ;  and,  thirdly, 
the  testimony  of  reason  itself,  which  must 
find  harmony  and  propriety  in  the  works 
of  the    divine    hand. 

In  short  and  concise  conferences,  such 
as  we  propose,  our  citations  will  neces- 
sarily be  brief;  but  one  good  proof  is 
sufficient  when  its  force  is  direct  and 
invincible. 

I. 

We  do  not  intend  here  to  enter 
upon  the  argument  which  establishes  the 
divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  will  answer 
our  present  purpose  to  simply  state  that 
he  professed  himself  to  be  the  Son  of 
God,    and,   as    such,   equal   in  nature  to  his 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  2 1 

1 

Father.  His  miracles,  which  are  matters 
of  fact,  witnessed  by  competent  testimony, 
proved  the  truth  of  the  divine  character 
which  he  claimed.*  God  only  can  work 
genuine  miracles,  and  he  can  never  co- 
operate  with   falsehood. 

The  fact  that  he  founded  a  church  to 
perpetuate  his  Gospel  is  generally  admit- 
ted. Those  who  reject  him  altogether 
are  not  concerned  to  deny  a  fact  so 
evident.  And  the  various  sects  of  Chris- 
tians, in  the  foundation  and  management 
of  their  different  churches,  testify  to  it, 
as  a  thinaf  conceded  without  discussion. 
If  it  were  necessary  to  prove  it,  we  should 
only  have  to  adduce  historical  testimony 
overwhelmingly  abundant.     The  New  Tes- 


*For  fuller  proof  of  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  author's  lectures  upon  Christ 
ana  (he  Church. 


22  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

tament  gives  a  full  account  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  this  church,  and  the  commis- 
sion of  its  first  pastors  or  teachers,  while 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  are  simply  the 
history  of  its  early  growth  and  vicissitudes. 
We  need  only  quote  the  words  of  the 
text:  "Thou  art  Peter;  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  church "  ;  or  the 
great  promise:  "Go  ye,  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations ;  and  behold,  I  am  with 
you  all  days,  even  unto  the  consumma- 
tion   of  the    world."* 

The  continued  existence  of  a  church 
through  nineteen  centuries,  deriving  its 
authority  professedly  from  him,  and  really 
tracing  back  its  existence  to  him,  is  the 
strongest  proof  that  can  be  presented. 
They  who  would  reject  this  evidence 
can    consistently    accept    no    historical    tes- 

*  S.    Matthew    xxviii.    1S-20. 


The  Supremacy  of  I  fie  Pope.  23 

timony  whatever.  The  only  link  wanting 
in  the  chain  is  the  proof  that  the  Catho- 
lic Church  is  the  church  which  Jesus 
Christ  founded.  And  here  we  have  only 
to  say,  that  if  he  founded  any  church, 
it  must  have  been  the  Catholic  Church ; 
for,  first,  there  is  no  other  church  which 
can  trace  back  its  origin  to  him ;  and, 
secondly,  there  is  no  other  church  which 
is  founded  upon  Peter,  as  his  was,  by 
the  testimony  of  his  own  words.  The 
Protestant  communions,  without  a  single 
exception,  can  be  traced  to  their  found- 
ers at  no  very  distant  date,  and  every 
schism  gives  us  the  exact  day  and  hour 
of  its  separation  from  the  old  church. 
These  could  not  have  been  founded  by 
Christ,  since  they  took  their  rise  long 
after   his    death    and    ascension. 

The  peculiarity   of  the  Christian   church 


24  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

was,   and   is,    that   it   rests   upon    S.    Peter 

and    his    successors    as    its    foundation    and 

immovable    centre    of  unity.     Surely    there 

is     no     need     to     demonstrate     that     the 

Catholic      communion       alone      has       this 

characteristic    and    distinguishing   mark    of 

the     true    church.        No     Protestant     body 

exists  a  day  without  the  denial  of  this 
essential     feature    of    the   body    of    Christ. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  church  estab- 
lished by  our  Lord  has  failed,  become 
corrupt,  or  ceased  to  exist.  The  works 
of  God  are  imperishable,  and  that  which 
he  commandeth  to  endure  cannot  pass 
away.  If  his  church  could  cease  to 
exist,  then  the  gates  of  hell  have  pre- 
vailed against  it,  and  his  word  has 
proved  false.  If  it  has  become  at  any 
time  corrupt  and  unfit  for  its  mission, 
then     has     it    so    signally    failed    that    the 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         25 

powers  of  evil  have  mastered  it,  and 
turned  it  against  its  founder.  If  it 
could  be  divided,  so  as  to  break  its 
unity  and  extinguish  its  living,  infallible 
voice,  then  has  Christ  been  worsted  in 
the     stru  cMe     with     the     devil,     and      his 

o  o 

promises  have  come  to  naught.  Who  is 
so  blind  as  not  to  see  that  his  veracity 
as  a  teacher,  and  therefore  the  success 
of  his  whole  mission  on  earth,  are 
bound  up  with  the  perpetuity  and 
triumph  of  that  one  church  which  he 
established?  If  his  word  can  fail,  then 
he  is  not  God,  and  Christianity  is  a 
wreck  of  delusion  and  imposture.  There 
is  no  other  conclusion  to  which  a  just 
and   unprejudiced   mind   can    come. 


26  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

II. 

It  is  important,  however,  to  bring  into 
greater  light  the  fact  on  which  we  have 
for  a  moment  dwelt.  Of  this  church 
which  Christ  founded,  and  to  which  he 
gave  the  whole  strength  of  his  divinitv, 
S.  Peter  and  his  successors  were  consti- 
tuted the  supreme  head.  This  truth 
being  once  established,  every  religious 
question  is  settled  among  those  who 
profess  themselves  followers  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

I.  Our  proposition  is  only  the  state- 
ment of  a  fact,  better  substantiated 
than  almost  any  fact  in  history.  If  our 
Lord  did  not  found  his  church  upon 
Peter,  then  he  did  not  found  any 
church  at  all.  The  evidence  for  the  one 
is    equal    to    the    evidence    for    the    other. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  27 

First,  we  have  his  promise  to  this 
apostle,  given  in  the  most  solemn 
manner.  His  name  was  not  originally 
Peter.  He  was  Simon  the  son  of  Jonas. 
At  his  first  call  to  the  apostleship,  our 
Lord  changed  his  name,  and  called  him 
Peter,  or  "  the  rock."  The  other 
apostles  were  not  called  by  such  a 
name,  and  therefore  it  is  certain  that 
something  special  and  important  was  in- 
tended by  such  an  appellation.  To 
suppose  anything  else  would  be  really 
to  make  our  Lord  senseless  and  more 
foolish  than  any  ordinary  man.  And 
there  is  no  other  interpretation  of  his 
words  possible,  except  one  which  would 
throw  ridicule  upon  Peter.  Upon  him 
as  "  the  rock,"  or  foundation,  Jesus 
Christ  promised  to  build  his  church.  It 
was    no    ordinary    edifice,    but    one    which 


28  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

the    powers    of    evil    or    the    changes    of 

time      should     not     be    able     to     destroy. 

"  Thou    art    Peter ;    and    upon    this    rock  I 

will    build    my    church,    and   the    gates    of 

hell    shall    not   prevail    against    it."      After 
the       resurrection,      the      supremacy      and 

pastorship     promised      were     plainly     con- 
ferred. 

"Jesus  said  to  Simon  Peter:  Simon 
son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me  more  than 
these  ?  He  saith  to  him :  Yea,  Lord, 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He 
saith  to  him :  Feed  my  lambs.  He  saith 
to  him  again :  Simon  son  of  John, 
lovest  thou  me  ?  He  saith  to  him : 
Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love 
thee.  He  saith  to  him :  Feed  my  lambs. 
He  saith  •  to  him  the  third  time :  Simon 
son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me  ?  Peter  was 
grieved,     because     he     said     to     him     the 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         29 

third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he 
said  to  him :  Lord,  '  thou  knowest  all 
things:  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee. 
He    said    to    him:     Feed    my    sheep."* 

The  lambs  and  sheep  of  Christ  con- 
stitute his  entire  fold,  and  therefore  by 
these  words  S.  Peter  is  made  the 
pastor  of  the  whole  flock.  The  power 
conferred  here  is  not  given  to  the 
other  apostles,  but  they  rather  are 
placed  under  the  direction  of  their  chief. 
"  Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these  ? " 
signifies  a  greater  trust,  and  therefore 
a  greater  devotion.  Any  other  interpre- 
tation would  imply  that  the  God- Man 
was  either  ignorant  of  the  meaning  of 
words,    or    that    he    intended    to    deceive. 

Christians  have  ever  understood  his 
words    in     their    plain,    literal    sense,    and 

*  S.  John  xxi.  15-17- 


3<D  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

on  this  point  there  is  a  testimony 
overwhelming.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
Peter  and  his  successors  have  been  the 
pastors  of  the  Catholic  Church.  This 
one  point  has  ever  been  the  proof  of 
unity.  Separation  from  the  see  of  Peter 
has  been  separation  from  the  church. 
As  S.  Ambrose  says,  "  Where  Peter  is, 
there  is  the  church."  No  civil  tyranny 
nor  galvanic  efforts  have  been  able  to 
give  ecclesiastical  life  to  a  body  sun- 
dered from  his  communion.  A  branch 
cut  off  from  the  vine  is  hopelessly  dead. 
The  words  of  the  early  Christian  writers 
and  teachers  abundantly  confirm  our 
statement   of  fact. 

Tertullian,  A.d.  195,  thus  writes: 
"  Was  anything  hidden  from  Peter,  who 
was  called  the  rock  on  which  the 
church     was    to    be    built ;     who    obtained 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  3 1 

the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and 
the  power  of  loosing-  and  binding  in 
heaven    and    on    earth?"* 

Origen,  a.d.  216,  calls  S.  Peter  "the 
foundation  of  the  church,  and  the  most 
solid  rock,  upon  which  Christ  founded  his 
church  "  —  "  Ecclesias  fundamentum,  et 
petram  solidissimam,  super  quam  Christus 
fundavit  ecclesiam."f  "The  chief  authority 
of  feeding  the  sheep  was  delivered  to 
Peter,  and  on  him,  as  on  the  earth,  the 
church  was  founded  "  —  "  Petro  cum 
summa  rerum  de  pascendis  ovibus  tra- 
deretur,  et  super  ipsum,  velut  super 
terram,   fundaretur  ecclesia."  % 

St.  Cyprian,  a.d.  248,  among  many 
other     like      passages,     says:      "There     is 

*   Tertidlian,   De    PnEScrip.    Haeret. 
f  Origen,   t.'ii.,    Horn.   v.    in    Exod. 
%  T.  iv.,   lib.    v.    in   Ep.   ad    Rom. 


32  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

one  baptism,  and  one  Holy  Ghost,  and 
one  church,  founded  by  Christ  our  Lord 
upon  Peter,  for  an  origin  and  principle 
of  unity "  — "  Una  ecclesia  a  Christo 
Domino  super  Petrum  origine  unitatis  et 
ratione  fundata."  * 

"Whither  shall  he  come  that  thirsteth? 
To  heretics,  where  the  fountain  of  water 
is      in      no     way     life-giving,     or     to     the 

church,  which  is  one,  and  was  by  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  founded  upon  one, 
who  also  received  the  keys  thereof.  She 
it  is  that  alone  holds  and  possesses  the 
whole  power  of  her  Spouse  and  Lord.  "I 
S.  Hilary,  of  Poictiers,  a.d.  356,  calls 
S.  Peter  "  happy  foundation  of  the 
church,  and  a  rock  worthy  of  that 
building  which  was  to  scatter  the  in- 
fernal   laws,    and    the    gates    of    hell,    and 

*  S.  Cypiian,  Ep.  Ixx.,  ad  Januar.  f  Ibid.     p.  2S1. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  33 

all  the  bars  of  death.  O  blessed  keeper 
of  the  gate  of  heaven,  whose  judgment 
on  earth  is  an  authority  prejudged  in 
heaven. 

S.  Optatus  of  Milevis,  a.d.  368:  "To 
err  knowingly  is  a  sin,  for  the  ignorant 
are  sometimes  pardoned.  Thou  canst  not 
then  deny  but  thou  knowest  that  in  the 
city  of  Rome,  on  Peter  the  First  was 
the  episcopal  chair  conferred,  wherein 
might  sit  of  all  the  apostles  the  head, 
Peter;  whence  also  he  was  called 
Cephas  (the  rock),  that  in  that  one 
chair  (in  qua  u?ia  cathedra)  unity  might 
be  preserved  by  all ;  and  that  whoso 
should  set  up  another  chair  against  the 
single  chair  might  at  once  be  a  schis- 
matic    and   a   sinner."f 

*  S.   Hilary,   Comm.    in    Matt.,   c.    xvi. 

\  S.    Optatus,   De   Schism.    Donat,   1.   ii.   n.   2-4. 


34  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

S.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  a.d.  370  : 
"  The  memory  of  Peter,  the  head  of 
the  apostles,  is  celebrated ;  upon  him  is 
the  church  of  God  firmly  established. 
For  he  is,  agreeably  to  the  gift  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  the  Lord,  that  un- 
broken and  most  firm  rock  upon  which 
the    Lord    built   his    church."  * 

Gaius  Marius  Victorinus,  a  writer 
mentioned  by  S.  Jerome  and  S. 
Augustine.  He  flourished  about  the 
middle  of  the  fourth  century.  He  thus 
speaks  (in  his  Prol.  ad  Galat.):  "If  the 
foundation  of  the  church  was  placed 
upon  Peter,  as  is  said  in  the  Gospel, 
Paul,  to  whom  all  things  had  been  re- 
vealed, knew  that  he  ought  to  see 
Peter,  as  him  to  whom  so  great  an 
authority   had   been    given    by    Christ." 

*  De   S.    Steph.,   t.   vl 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         35 

S.  Ambrose,  a.d.  385  :  "It  is  that 
same  Peter,  to  whom  he  said:  "Thou 
art  Peter ;  and  on  this  rock  will  I 
build  my  church."  Therefore  where 
Peter  is,  there  is  the  church ;  where 
the  church  is,  there  death  is  not,  but 
life  eternal  "  —  "  Ubi  ergo  Petrus,  ibi 
ecclesia ;  ubi  ecclesia,  ibi  nulla  mors,  sed 
vita    seterna."  * 

S.  Jerome,  a.d.  390,  thus  writes  : 
"  I  speak  with  the  fisherman's  suc- 
cessor and  the  disciple  of  the  cross. 
Following  no  chief  but  Christ,  I 
am  in  communion  with  your  holiness 
(Pope  Damasus),  that  is,  with  the  chair 
of  Peter.  Upon  that  rock  I  know  that 
the  church  is  built.  Whosoever  eats 
the  Lamb  out  of  this  house  is  profane. 
If   any  one  be  not    in    the    ark    of    Noah, 

*  S.   Ambrose,    t.    i.,    in    Ps.    xl. 


36  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

he    will     perish    whilst     the     deluge     pre- 
vaileth.        Whosoever    gathereth     not     with 

thee   scatter eth."  * 

S.  John  Chrysostom,  a.d.  387  : 
"  Peter,  the  leader  of  the  choir,  the 
mouth  of  the  apostles,  the  head  of  that 
brotherhood,  that  one  set  over  the 
entire  universe,  that  foundation  of  the 
church."  "  See  how  Paul  speaks  after 
Peter,  and  no  one  restrains :  James 
waits,  and  starts  not  up,  for  Peter  it 
was  to  whom  had  been  entrusted  the 
government."f 

S.  Innocent  I.,  Pope,  a.d.  410: 
"Though  Peter  alone  received  many 
things,  nothing  passed  unto  any  one 
else  without  his  participation  .in  it.  Out 
of    the    whole    world    the     one     Peter    is 

*  S.    Jerome,   Ep.   xv.,   ad   Damas.   Papam. 

+  S.  Chrysostom,  t.  in  Joannem  et  Horn,  xxxiii.  in  Act.  Ap. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope  3  7 

chosen,  to  be  both  set  over  the  voca- 
tion of  all  the  nations,  and  over  all  the 
apostles,  and  all  the  fathers  of  the 
church ;  that  so,  though  there  be  in  the 
people  of  God  many  priests  and  many 
pastors,  Peter  especially  may  rule  all 
whom  Christ  also  rules  as  the  head. 
.  .  .  Wherefore,  my  beloved,  since 
we  see  that  so  great  a  safeguard  has 
been  divinely  instituted  for  us,  reason- 
ably and  justly  do  we  rejoice  in  the 
merits  and  dignity  of  our  leader,  giving 
thanks  to  our  everlasting  King  and  Re- 
deemer Jesus  Christ  for  that  he  gave 
so  great  power  to  him  whom  he  made 
the  prince  of  the  whole  church ;  that, 
if  it  so  be  that  anything  is  rightly 
done  by  us  in  these  our  days,  it  be  re- 
ferred to  his  doing,  to  his  governing, 
unto     whom      it     was     said,     Confirm     thy 


38  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

brethren;  and  to  whom,  after  the 
resurrection,  the  Lord,  for  a  triple  con- 
fession of  everlasting  love,  with  a 
mystic  meaning  thrice  said :  Feed  my 
sheep. 

These  passages,  which  are  among 
many  others,  show  the  universal  Chris- 
tian belief  in  the  power  of  Peter  and 
his  successors  as  the  pastors  and  rulers 
of  that  church  which  Christ  established. 
There  is  not  in  antiquity  a  dissentient  voice. 
The  prerogatives  of  Peter  were  not  a 
matter  of  discussion.  They  were  recog- 
nized as  a  fact  as  essential  to  Chris- 
tianity, as  the  divine  ministry  of  our 
Lord.  Although  we  have  only  spoken 
of  Peter  personally,  it  is  evident  from 
the  very  nature  of  the  case,  and  from 
the    evidence    we    have    quoted,    that    the 

*  S.   Innocent  I.,   t.   i.   Serm.   iv.   in   Natal.   Ordinat. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  39 

powers  he  received  were  official,  and 
are  therefore  transferred  to  his  successors 
to    the    end    of  time 

If  our  Lord  conferred  the  headship  of 
his  visible  body  upon  S.  Peter,  that 
headship  was  essential  to  the  church 
which  he  constituted,  and  must  therefore 
last  to  the  end  of  time.  The  church 
could  not  exist  without  it.  The  church 
was  for  all  ages,  and  so  was  S.  Peter's 
office. 

Again,  the  powers  involved  in  this  su- 
premacy were  for  the  salvation  of  men 
of  all  generations,  and  hence  the  su- 
premacy must  endure  during  the  whole 
dispensation  of  Christ.  If  Peter  fails, 
Christ  fails.  Peter  personally  passes 
away ;  therefore,  according  to  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  the  fathers,  he  lives  in 
his    successors.      Peter,     as    the    head    of 


4-0  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

the  church  and  the  centre  of  its  unity, 
never  dies.  To  this  purport  are  the 
words  which  we  have  just  cited  from  the 
early  Christian  writers,  who  witness  to  a 
fact  in  their  own  day,  a  fact  so  essential 
that  it  could  not  be  separated  from 
Christianity.  "Where  Peter  is,  there  is 
the    church,    with    which    is    life    eternal." 

The  language  of  Philip,  the  Papal  le- 
gate, accepted  by  the  Council  of  Ephesus, 
a.d.    431,    is    conclusive: 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  doubt  to  none,  yea, 
rather  it  is  a  thins:  known  to  all  asfes, 
that  the  holy  and  most  blessed  Peter,  the 
prince  and  head  of  the  apostles,  the  pillar 
of  the  faith,  the  foundation  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  received  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
from  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
and  Redeemer  of  mankind.  And  to  him 
was  given  authority  to  bind  and  loose  sins, 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  41 

who,  even  till  this  present,  and  always, 
both  lives  and  judges  in  his  successors. 
Our  holy  and  much  blessed  Pope  Celestin, 
the  bishop,  the  canonical  successor  of 
Peter,  and  his  viceregent,  has  sent  us  as 
representatives    of   his    person."  * 

At  the  Council  of  Chalcedon,  a.d.  451, 
the  sentence  of  the  deposition  of  Dioscorus 
is  pronounced  in  Pope  Leo's  name  as 
follows:  "Wherefore,  the  most  holy  and 
blessed  archbishop  of  the  great  and  elder 
Rome,  through  us  and  the  present  most 
holy  synod,  together  with  the  thrice  blessed 
and  illustrious  Peter  the  apostle,  who  is 
the  rock  and  foundation  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  the  foundation  of  the  orthodox 
faith,  has  stripped  him  (Dioscorus)  of  his 
episcopacy,  and  has  removed  him  from  all 
priestly  dignity."  f 

*  Cone.  Epk.,   act.   iii.  f  Cone.   Chalced.,  act.   iii. 


42  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

We  conclude  with  the  words  of  S.  Boni- 
face, Bishop  of  Rome,  a.d.  418:  "The  in- 
stitution of  the  universal  church  took  its* 
beginning  from  the  honor  bestowed  on 
blessed  Peter,  in  whom  its  government  and 
headship  reside ;  for  from  him  as  its 
source  did  ecclesiastical  discipline  flow  over 
all  the  churches  when  the  culture  of  re- 
ligion had  begun  to  make  progress.  The 
precepts  of  the  Synod  of  Nicaea  bear  no 
other  testimony,  insomuch  that  this  synod 
did  not  attempt  to  make  any  regulations 
in  his  regard,  as  it  saw  that  nothing  could 
be  conferred  that  was  superior  to  his  own 
dignity :  it  knew,  in  fact,  that  everything 
had  been  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  Lord. 
It  is  therefore  certain  that  this  church  is 
to  the  churches  spread  over  the  world  as 
the  head  is  to  its  own  members ;  from 
which    church    whoso   has    cut  himself    off 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  43 

becomes    an    alien    from    the    Christian    re- 
liQ-ion. 

II.  We  have  alluded  to  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures only  as  they  contain  an  authentic 
History  of  the  life  and  acts  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Those  who  accept  them  as  inspired  writ- 
ings will  find  new  and  weightier  proof  of 
our  proposition  in  them,  since  not  only 
are  they  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
but  every  line  and  feature  becomes  in- 
vested with  a  higher  meaning.  We  pur- 
pose therefore  merely  to  indicate  the 
testimony  to  Peter's  prerogatives  which 
is  so  abundant  in  them.  And  here  let  us 
premise  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  bear 
higher  and  stronger  testimony  to  this 
truth  than  to  any  other  in  the  whole 
circle  of  Christian  verities.  Some  of  the 
truths    admitted   by    Protestants    are    to  be 

*  S.   Boniface,    Ep.    xiv.,    Epis.    Thess. 


44  The  Stipremacy  of  the  Pope. 

found  only  indirectly  or  by  implication 
in  the  sacred  books  ;  others  are  not 
there  at  all.  But  if  language  can  ex_ 
press  anything,  Peter's  supremacy  is  dis- 
tinctly stated,  so  as  to  leave  no  shadow  of 
doubt.  We  do  not  say  that  men  cannot 
reject  it,  or  deny  that  they  see  it.  Any 
statement,  however  clear,  can  be  miscon- 
strued. "I  and  my  Father  are  one"  can 
be  explained  of  a  unity  of  sentiment ; 
"  This  is  my  body  "  may  be  made  to  ex- 
press "  This  represents  my  body,"  in  utter 
violation  of  common  sense  and  the  rules 
of  language.  Yet,  if  words  are  of  any  use 
whatever,  our  argument  is  good ;  and  if 
they  are  of  no  use,  then  language  ceases 
to  be  a  medium  of  communication  be- 
tween man  and  man,  or  between  man 
and  God.  What,  then,  do  the  Scriptures 
teach  ?     We  will    place  their  testimony  be- 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  45 

fore  the  reader  in  the  briefest  possible 
synopsis : 

1.  Our  Lord  calls  his  disciples,  whom 
he  afterwards  names  apostles.  He  changes 
the  name  of  only  one  of  them.  "  Jesus, 
looking"  on  him,  said  :  Thou  art  Simon  son 
of  Jonas ;  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas, 
which  is  interpreted  Peter  (a  rock)."  * 
The  Creator  does  not  speak  in  vain,  nor 
give  a  name  without  any  signification. 
And  no  reason  for  this  appellation  can  be 
given,  except  that  which  Christianity  has 
accepted,  and  which  the  Gospel  afterwards 
more   fully   explains. 

2.  In  the  catalogue  of  the  apostles,  and 
the  account  of  their  appointment,  S.  Peter 
is  mentioned  first.  This  could  not  be 
without  intention,  even  in  the  acts  of  a 
merely  human   teacher,  much  less  in  those 

*  S.   John   i.   35-42. 


46  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

of  a  divine  Saviour.  "  The  names  of  the 
twelve  apostles  are  these  :  The  first,  Simon, 
who  is  called   Peter."  * 

3.  Prominence  is  given  to  S.  Peter  by 
our  Lord  and  the  Evangelists  in  every 
leading  act  of  his  life  and  ministry.  He 
teaches  from  Peter's  boat,  and  if  he  ever 
taught   from   any   other  it  is   not   recorded. 

Peter's  net  alone  takes  the  miraculous 
draught  of  fishes.  After  the  resurrection, 
the  scene  on  Galilee  is  repeated,  and  Peter 
dragfs  the  laden  net  to  the  shore,  where  is 
manifested  the   glorified   Christ. 

He  is  oftener  mentioned  in  the  Gospels 
and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  than  all  the 
other  apostles  put  together.  He  is  men- 
tioned directly  when  the  others  are  only 
alluded   to,    or   spoken   of  obliquely. 

The    leading   part    is    assigned    to    him, 

*  S.  Matt.  x.  I.     Compare  S.  Mark  iii.  14  ;    S.  Luke  vi.  14. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  47 

and  he  speaks  for  the  others,  who  never 
by  any  accident  speak  for  him.  After  the 
ascension  of  Christ,  he  is  the  chief  figure 
among-  the  apostles,  taking  the  place  which 
Christ  held   before. 

When  the  new  apostle  is  elected  in  the 
place  of  Judas,  he  "  stood  in  the  midst  of 
the  disciples,"  to  move  and  direct  the  elec- 
tion. So  S.  Chrysostom  says :  "  As  one 
entrusted  by  Christ  with  the  flock,  and  as 
the  first  of  the  choir,  he  ever  first  begins 
to   speak."  * 

He  presides  over  the  different  steps  in 
the  propagation  of  the  church,  and  re- 
ceives the  Gentiles  in  the  person  of  Cor- 
nelius. 

He  exercises  supreme  legislative  au- 
thority in  council  when  the  apostles  are 
gathered  together  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 

*  Horn.    iii.    in    Act. 


48  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

they  acquiesce  in  his  judgment.  "  See," 
says  S.  Chrysostom,  "he  first  permits  a 
discussion  to  arise  in  the  church,  and  then 
he  speaks." 

S.  Paul,  after  his  miraculous  conversion, 
and  the  revelation  which  he  received  from 
Christ  himself,  goes  up  to  Jerusalem  to 
visit   S.    Peter. 

Surely  these  various  facts  recorded  by 
the  inspired  writers  have  an  important 
meaning,  else  the  Holy  Spirit  would  not 
have   caused   them  to   be   written. 

4.  There  are  important  texts  which 
deserve  a  distinct  notice. 

The  miraculous  payment  of  the  tribute 
is  recorded  in  S.  Matthew  xvii.  23.  Our 
Lord  first  declares  that,  as  the  Son  of  God 
and  the  Sovereign  to  whom  the  temple  is 
dedicated,  he  is  free  from  any  obligation  to 
pay  the   tribute.       "  But    that   we    may   not 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  49 

scandalize  them,"  he  says  to  Peter,  "goto 
the  sea,  and  cast  in  a  hook  ;  and  that  fish 
which  shall  first  come  up,  take,  and  when 
thou  hast  opened  its  mouth  thou  shalt  find 
a  piece  of  silver ;  take  that,  and  give  it 
them  for  me  and  thee."  Why  does  Jesus 
Christ  here  work  this  miracle,  and  asso- 
ciate himself  in  this  marked  manner  with 
S.  Peter  ?  There  is  really  no  reason  for 
his  act,  unless  the  disciple,  as  the  head, 
represents  the  church  for  which  he  stands. 
The  tribute  is  not  paid  for  Christ  and  the 
apostles,  but  for  Christ  and  Peter :  "for  me 
and  thee." 

Secondly,   the    terms  of  the   passage  al 
ready   quoted,    as   the    text  of  our   lecture, 
are  conclusive. 

"  Jesus  answering,  said  to  him :  Blessed 
art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona :  because  flesh 
and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but 


5<d  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  And  I  say 
to  thee :  That  thou  art  Peter  (the  rock)  ;  and 
upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and 
the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  also  be 
bound  in  heaven :  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  loose  on  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also 
in   heaven."  * 

From  this  passage  the  following  con- 
clusions are  evident :  Peter  had  solemnly 
confessed  the  true  faith  in  the  divinity 
and  humanity  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  clear 
faith  he  received  from  no  human  source, 
but  by  divine  inspiration  from  the  eternal 
Father.  The  reason  for  this  special  favor 
was  not  his  natural  gifts,  but  the  office 
to  which  he  was  designated  in   his  call   to 

f  S.    Matthew   xvi     15-19. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  5 1 

the  apostleship.  Our  Lord  gives  this  ex- 
planation in  the  distinct  statement  of  his 
official  character,  and  the  meaning  of  his 
name.  "  Thou  art  what  I  have  called 
thee,  a  rock,  and  on  thee  as  such  I  will 
build  my  church  so  firmly  that  the  great- 
est power  or  malice  of  devils  cannot  shake 
it." 

Here  human  language  is  useless,  and 
human  intelligence  given  for  naught, 
if  our  Lord  did  not  promise  to  bui'd 
his  church  on  Peter.  To  say  that  the 
rock  signifies  the  faith  which  Peter  con- 
fessed is  to  intimate  that  which  cannot 
honestly  be  deduced  from  his  words,  and 
to  make  an  interpretation  which  is  an  ab- 
surdity. 

The  faith  of  the  head  of  the  church  is 
certainly  implied,  for  how  could  he  be  a 
foundation  if  his  faith  was  not  sure?     But, 


52  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

if  the  God- Man  meant  only  to  say  that  he 
founded  his  church  on  faith,  why  did  he 
not  say  so  simply  and  plainly  ?  Surely  he 
was  not  ignorant  of  the  use  of  the  words 
he  used.  But  he  goes  on  to  express 
the  powers  which  were  conveyed  to  Peter 
"  I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  And  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth,  it  shall  also  be  bound 
in  heaven."  Here  the  supreme  jurisdic- 
tion over  the  church  or  kingdom  of  Christ 
is  given  in  the  fullest  terms.  He  who 
holdeth  the  keys  of  the  temple  is  the 
master  of  the  building.  "  He  openeth, 
and  no  man  shutteth ;  he  shutteth,  and 
no  man  openeth."  If  the  apostles  receive 
the  power  to  bind  and  loose,  their  gift  in- 
terfereth  not  with  the  prerogatives  of  their 
chief,  who  beareth  alone  the  keys  of  the 
heavenly  kingdom. 


The  Stipremacy  of  the  Pope.         5 


5 


We  forbear  again  to  quote  the  interpre- 
tations of  the  Christian  fathers  on  this  text, 
as  we  have    already   sufficiently   manifested 
their   unanimous   sentiment.     And  the  lan- 
guage   of   our    Lord    is    so    plain    that    no 
comments  of  men  can  make  it  clearer.     We 
are  well  aware   of  the  disputations  of  late 
days     which    have     endeavored    to    explain 
away  this   text,  but  we  think  them    contra- 
ry   to-  reason    and    irreverent  to  the  divine 
mind  which    speaks    in  the   inspired   Scrip- 
tures, as  well  as  insulting  to  the  God- Man 
who    redeemed    us,    to    whose    mercy    we 
owe   the  plan   of  salvation.       There  is    no- 
thing that  can   escape,   denial.      There   are 
those  who  assert  that   Peter  was   never   in 
Rome,  that  his   successors  (if  he   had   any) 
never   possessed    any  jurisdiction    over   the 
church ;    that  Christ   did   not    institute    any 
church   at  all.     But   we    parallel    these    ob- 


54  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

jectors,  whom  no  one  can  reason  with  at 
any  time,  with  the  intelligent  philosophers 
who  deny  the  possibility  of  miracles,  assail 
the  reality  of  our  cognitions  or  perceptions, 
and  pride  themselves  in  doubting  every- 
thing. To  such  there  can  be  no  history, 
and   even   no  certainty  of  things  present. 

We  shall,  .  then,  satisfy  ourselves  with 
one  more  quotation  from  the  sacred  writ- 
ings, in  which,  as  we  have  seen  under 
another  part  of  our  subject,  the  Holy 
Ghost  records  the  fact  that  the  Son  of 
God,  the  great  shepherd  of  the  sheep, 
when  about  to  leave  the  world,  solemnly 
confided  his  whole  flock  to  the  care  of  S. 
Peter.  We  refer  to  the  passage  of  S. 
John's  Gospel  (xxi.  15-17)  already  cited. 
Thrice  does  the  Redeemer  demand  of  his 
apostle  if  he  loves  him  more  than  the 
others,  and   to   his  ready   answer,   thrice   he 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         55 

replies  by  the  great  commission :  "  Feed 
my  lambs :  Feed  my  sheep.''  No  in- 
genuity of  error  can  take  from  these  words 
their  plain  signification.  The  will  may  say, 
I  will  not  accept  them ;  the  reason  may 
argue  that  it  is  of  no  consequence  who 
feeds  the  flock  of  Christ,  or  that  the  other 
apostles  were  equally  charged  with  the 
office  here  given  only  to  one  (which  is  an 
unauthorized  and  palpable  misstatement)  ; 
yet  there,  on  the  sacred  page,  remain  the 
unmistakable  words,  "Feed  my  sheep''  in 
their  letters  of  light.  No  revelation  in 
language  is  possible  when  such  words  can 
be  misinterpreted.  It  is  the  greatest  of 
surprises  to  us  that  those  who  thus  pervert 
the  sayings  and  acts  of  Christ  can  possess 
any  respect   for  the   inspired  volume. 

Well  may  we  say,  with  S.  Asterius  (a.d. 
387) :     "  O     the     deep    darkness,    and    the 


56  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

cloud  spread  over  men's  eyes,  whereby  the 
heretics  see  not  the  footprints  of  the 
fathers,  and  walk  not  in  the  path  worn 
by  the  feet  of  the  apostles !  For  behold 
Peter,  that  pre  eminently  sincere  disciple 
of  Christ,  he  who  everywhere  received 
the  first  place,  both  as  regards  honors  and 
good  deeds;  that  great  man,  whose  glory 
has  filled  the  whole  world,  when  bidden  to 
declare  his  sentiments  concerning  our  God 
and  Saviour,  he,  with  singleness  of  heart, 
proclaimed  the  truth  briefly.  .  .  .  When 
our  Saviour  was  about  to  sanctify  the  human 
race  by  a  voluntary  death,  he  entrusts  to 
this  man  the  universal  and  oecumenical 
church,  after  having  thrice  asked  him : 
Lovest  thou  me?  But  as  he  to  those  ques- 
tions readily  gave  as  many  confessions, 
he  received  the  world  in  charge,  as  it  were, 
for    one    fold,   one  shepherd   having   heard 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  57 

Feed  my  lambs,  and  the  Lord  gave  in  his 
own  stead  that  most  faithful  disciple  to  the 
proselytes  as  a  father,  pastor,  and  in- 
structor." * 

Yet  reason  has  but  one  voice,  Christi- 
anity one  history,  and  Jesus  Christ  one 
fold. 

III.  Let  us  consult  for  a  moment  the 
teachings   of  reason   on  this   subject. 

The  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  is  estab- 
lished by  proofs  which  address  themselves 
to  the  reason,  and  which,  according  to  the 
laws  of  evidence,  are  unanswerable.  God 
then  became  man,  "  the  Word  was  made 
flesh,"  to  redeem  man  from  the  effects  of 
sin,  and  to  convey  to  him  the  gifts  of  a 
new  life. 

The  church  which  he  instituted  is  a 
society    of    men,    adhering    together   by    a 

*  Horn,  in    Apost.  Princ. 


58  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

power  which  he  gave  and  still  imparts. 
Nothing  less  can  be  gathered  from  the 
facts  of  his  life.  "  All  power  is  given  unto 
me  in  heaven  and  on  earth."  "  Behold  I 
am  with  you  all  days,  even  unto  the  con- 
summation  of  the   world." 

He  never  founded  but  one  church, 
neither  could  he,  without  contradicting  him- 
self and  nullifying  his  whole  mission.  Two 
or  more  churches  would  at  once  neutralize 
each  other.  "He  that  ga there th  not  with 
me  scattereth." 

The  end  for  which  he  founded  this 
church  was  twofold :  to  teach  the  various 
generations  of  men  the  truths  which  he 
came  on  earth  to  proclaim,  and  to  apply 
to  all  times  and  races  the  fruits  of  his  re- 
demption. He  did  not  remain  visibly 
among  us  but  one  generation,  and  so  could 
reach  only  one  age  by  his  personal   labors. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  59 

Reason  suggests  no  plan  so  effectual  to 
accomplish  his  designs  as  the  institution 
of  a  great  society,  to  spread  over  the  world, 
and  bind  together  its  members  in  one  faith 
and  one  supernatural  aim.  Up  to  this 
point  everything  is  in  accordance  with  our 
intelligence,  and  the  harmonies  which  we 
demand  in  the  works  of  a  founder  of  a 
great  institution,  much  more  in  the  works 
of  God. 

But,  if  Jesus  Christ  established  a  church 
and  took  no  care  to  provide  for  its  unity, 
he  labored  unwisely  and  in  vain.  No 
human  teacher  could  be  guilty  of  such 
folly.  His  enterprise  would  receive  and 
deserve  the  ridicule  of  all  mankind.  And 
unity  in  a  society  is  impossible  without  a 
head,  whose  rights  and  prerogatives  are 
clearly  defined.  We  demand  of  the  Master- 
builder    of    the    Christian    temple    that    he 


6o  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

shall  thus  satisfy  the  necessities  of  our 
nature,  and  not  leave  to  fall  in  pieces  the 
gflorious  structure  which  he  undertook  to 
erect.  There  is  no  unity  so  perfect  as 
that  to  which  he  parallels  the  unity  of 
his  church.  It  is  a  kingdom  under  one 
Lord ;  a  house  built  upon  one  foundation ; 
a  body  whose  many  members  partake  of 
one  life,  and  are   obedient  to   one  head. 

As  unity  is  an  essential  of  the  church, 
so  it  cannot  exist  without  a  head,  and  we 
are  not  surprised  to  hear  the  God- Man 
say:  "Thou  art  Peter;  and  on  this  rock 
I  will  build  my  church " ;  nor  to  hear  an- 
tiquity echo  on  all  sides  the  consequence 
of  this  creating  word,  in  the  language 
which  expresses  all:  "Where  Peter  is, 
there    is   the   church." 

Reason  scoffs  at  the  idea  of  many  heads 
to  one  body,  many  rulers  to  one  kingdom, 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  6 1 

many  foundations  to  one  house.  If  there 
be  more  than  one  God,  there  is  no  God, 
since  of  many  Gods  there  is  none  supreme. 
If  there  be  many  heads  to  the  church, 
there  is  no  unity ;  and  where  there  is  no 
unity,  there  is  no  church.  God  in  nature, 
as  well  as  in  revelation,  teaches  us  this. 
It  is  the  height  of  absurdity,  not  to  say 
blasphemy,  to  make  the  divine  founder  of 
Christianity  less  wise  than  human  intel- 
lects, which  he  created  and  enlightens. 
They  who  profess  to  believe  in  the  divin- 
ity of  Jesus  Christ  must  deny  the  existence 
of  any  church  whatever,  which  is  against 
fact ;  or  hold  to  one  alone  which  is  worthy 
of  the  mighty  hand  which  framed  its  es- 
sential parts  according  to  the  laws  of  a 
perfect  unity. 


62  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

III. 

Christianity  is,  then,  identical  with  that 
church  of  which  S.  Peter  and  his  successors 
are  the  head. 

From  all  that  has  been  said  and  demon- 
strated, it  is  quite  evident  that  Jesus  Christ 
came  upon  earth  to  found  a  religion  for 
man's  restoration  to  the  complete  favor  of 
God,  and  that  the  system  he  introduced 
must  be  permanent.  Christianity  is  the 
name  of  the  religion  he  established,  and 
must  be  taken  as  a  whole  on  his  authority, 
or  rejected  as  a  whole.  Taken  in  part, 
and  rejected  in  part,  it  ceases  to  bear  the 
mark  of  his  hand.  Truth  when  mixed 
with  error  is  the  worst  form  of  deceit. 
The  church  was  the  concrete  form  of 
Christianity,  the  outward  sign  or  sacra- 
ment of  unity  and  reconciliation  with  God. 


The   Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  6 1 


3 


It  was  founded  upon  Peter,  not  accident- 
ally, but  essentially,  so  that  it  had,  and 
can  have,  no  existence  without  him.  When 
he  fails,  the  church  fails.  When  the  foun- 
dation gives  way,  the  building  falls.  "The 
gates  of  hell  prevail  against  it."  Separa- 
tion from  Peter  is  separation  from  the 
unity  of  the  church.  This  tests  the  whole 
Christian  system.  The  house  of  God  can 
never  cease  to  be  one,  since  communion 
with  the  head  ogives  one  life  and  one  love. 
Individual  members  may  fall  away,  nations 
apostatize  from  the  fold ;  the  flock  con- 
tinues one,  under  one  shepherd.  The  form 
which  Christ  gave  to  his  body  must 
continue,  and  any  essential  change  de- 
stroys all  ;  Christ  fails,  and  we  must 
wait  for  a  new  redeemer.  We  cannot 
construct  a  religion  for  ourselves,  nor 
modify     the     features     of    his     work     any 


64         The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

more  than  we  can  become  our  own  sa- 
viour. 

The  religious  bodies,  therefore,  which 
apply  to  themselves  the  Christian  name, 
separated  from  the  communion  of  Peter, 
have  really  no  part  nor  lot  in  Christ; 
rather,  as  rivals  of  his  religion,  and  ene- 
mies to  the  faith  he  taught,  are  they  anti- 
Christian.  We  cannot  have  Christ  with- 
out the  church  which  he  founded,  nor  take 
any  share  in  his  teachings,  unless  obediently 
we   receive  all. 

It  was  not  to  be  hoped  that  the  bark 
of  Peter  would  sail  upon  a  tranquil  sea, 
nor  to  be  expected  that  all  converted 
to  the  truth  should  remain  faithful.  Yet 
it  was  absolutely  necessary  for  the  very 
existence  of  Christianity  that  the  body 
should  retain  its  integrity,  and  the  church 
its    oneness.       Faith    must   have   its    trials, 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         65 

but   the   Word    of    God    must    endure    for 
ever. 

From  the  just  conclusions  of  our  lecture, 
from  the  language  of  the  fathers  already 
quoted,  from  the  very  words  of  our  Lord, 
it  follows  that  no  society  separated  from 
the  communion  and  obedience  of  S.  Peter 
and  his  successors,  can  be  in  any  way  the 
representative  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  re- 
ligion. 

There  are  bodies  of  men  untouched  by 
the  errors  of  late  days,  and  retaining  the 
forms  of  the  Apostolic  Church,  and  the 
orders  of  her  priesthood.  They  are  more 
or  less  divided  among  themselves,  with  no 
power  to  resist  the  tyranny  of  civil  poten- 
tates, nor  control  the  rebelling  minds  of 
their  own  children.  They  have  the  ex- 
terior of  the  old  temple,  but  no  part  in 
its   life    and  graces ;    for  they    are    not    of 


66  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

that  fold  which  Peter  feeds.  Cut  off  from 
his  communion,  they  touch  not  the  founda- 
tion laid  by  the  Incarnate  God,  and  are 
no  part  of  his  body  which  "  he  filleth 
with   his  fulness." 

What  other  conclusion  is  possible,  if  the 
words  of  Christ  are  true  ?  What  other 
conclusion  consistent  with  the  unity  of  the 
church?  Any  other  theory  would  make 
as  many  distinct  churches  as  there  are 
bishops,  no  regard  being  had  to  their  faith 
or  charity  towards  each  other ;  and  such 
a  theory,  while  it  is  an  absurdity  to  reason, 
is  utterly  opposed  to  the  facts  on  which 
we  rest  the  whole  fabric  of  revealed  re- 
ligion. 

Protestantism  is  founded  in  the  denial 
of  unity,  either  internal  or  external.  To 
consistent  Protestants  there  is  no  external 
teacher,    nor   any    sheepfold    or    shepherd. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         67 

There  can  be  to  them  no  church  instituted 
by  Christ ;  for,  if  there  were  such  a  church, 
it  would  be  the  duty  of  every  man  to 
obey  it,  and  they  recognize  no  such  duty. 
Their  position  cannot  be  logically  defended 
one  instant,  except  by  the  plain  and  broad 
statement  that  our  Lord  founded  no  church 
in  any  proper  sense  of  the  term.  Scrip- 
ture and  history  have  both  to  be  explain- 
ed away  by  them,  yet,  nevertheless,  they 
undertake  to  defend  themselves  by  both. 
On  the  plea  that  there  is  no  divine  church, 
their  forefathers  left  the  Catholic  com- 
munion ;  and  on  the  same  principle  their 
children  have  divided  and  subdivided,  until 
every  generation  sees  the  birth  of  new 
sects,  which,  notwithstanding  the  zeal  of 
their  members,  have  no  authority  from 
above,  and,  confessedly,  are  unnecessary  to 
the   salvation   of  any   one.       Such   a   state 


68  The  Stcpremacy  of  the  Pope. 

of  disunion  and  religious  strife  may  be 
called  by  any  name :  it  is  no  more  Chris- 
tianity   than    it    is    Mohammedanism. 

We  have  said  that  there  is  with  Pro- 
testants neither  internal  nor  external  unity. 
No  long-  argument  is  needed  to  prove  our 
statement.  Visible  unity  they  pretend 
not  to  have,  and  it  is  palpably  evident 
that  they  do  not  agree  in  doctrine.  In 
truth,  there  is  not  one  article  of  belief, 
not  even  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
which    they    all   are    of  one    mind. 

The  most  advanced  disciples  of  private 
judgment,  and  the  most  illogical,  are  those 
among  Protestants  who  attempt  to  dog- 
matize, and  arrange  matters  ecclesiastical, 
and  terms  of  communion,  as  if  they  them- 
selves were  the  lawgivers.  Clothed  in 
vestments  robbed  from  the  ancient  church, 
without  her  orders,  and  repudiated  by  their 


The   Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         69 

own  communion,  they  disport  themselves 
before  the  complacent  world,  the  marvel  of 
wise  men  and  the  scandal  of  their  breth- 
ren. Ritualists  rightly  named  ire  they, 
for  there  is  nothing  but  rite  there ;  the 
form  without  the  thing,  the  vestment  with- 
out the  priest,  the  altar  without  the  sacri- 
fice. If  we  speak  feelingly,  it  is  because 
the  time  has  come.  Solomon  says  there 
is  a  time  for  everything :  the  time  to 
weep  and  the  time  to  laugh ;  and  now 
the  time  for  play  is  past.  If  they  would 
form  a  church  of  their  own,  they  would 
merit  far  more  respect.  To  remain  in  a 
church  which  disowns  them,  and  openly 
arrays  itself  on  the  side  of  Protestantism, 
is  neither  the  dictate  of  obedience  nor 
honesty.  Their  theory  of  unity  does  away 
with  the  very  essentials  of  a  church,  and 
shows    that    they    have    not    comprehended 


jo  The  Supremacy  of  the   Pope. 

the  first  condition  of  union  with  Christ  in 
and  through  the  sacraments  of  one  visible 
fold. 

As  the  sacred  text  is  capable  of  misin- 
terpretations, so  are  the  fathers  to  be  ex- 
plained away.  Far  better  would  it  be  for 
honor  and  logic  to  stand  on  the  broad 
platform  which  asserts  independence  of  all 
authority,  ecclesiastical  or  external,  than 
thus  to  be  false  to  reason  and  facts.  In 
neither  case,  however,  is  found  the  revela- 
tion through  the  incarnate  Son  of  God, 
the  temple  built  upon  Peter,  in  which 
shines  clearly  the  light  of  Christianity. 

Yet,  for  a  last  question,  Why  do  Pro- 
testants at  one  time  obey,  and  at  another 
time  resist,  the  same  evidence  of  revela- 
tion ?  Why  hold  certain  tenets  and  reject 
others  which  have  even  a  greater  weight 
of  testimony?     If  they  would  consider  how 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  71 

overwhelming  is  the  evidence  for  the  su- 
premacy of  S.  Peter  compared  with  that 
for  many  doctrines  which  they  hold  with- 
out question,  perhaps  in  moments  of  quiet 
sincerity  they  might  be  ashamed  of  their 
inconsistency.  They  need  not  be  surprised 
if  their  children  learn  the  lesson  their  ex- 
ample teaches,  and  in  due  time  reject  even 
their  semblance  or  remnant  of  Christianity. 
Logic  hath  a  stern  voice  and  a  mighty 
power.  Amid  the  storms  of  battle  it 
causeth  itself  to  be  heard,  and  there  is 
no   grave    in    which    it    can    be    buried. 

IV. 

We  have  one  step  more  to  describe  as 
the  just  consequence  of  the  rejection  of 
the  pastorship  of  S.  Peter.  It  is  the  re- 
jection of  natural  religion  and  the  light 
of  reason. 


72  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

First  among:  all  verities  and  the  founda 
tion  of  all  knowledge,  is  the  existence  of 
God,  a  supreme  and  necessary  being,  en- 
dowed with  all  possible  perfections.  In- 
finite knowledge  and  unvariable  truth  are 
the  most  essential  of  his  attributes.  In 
his  dealings  with  intelligent  creatures  whom 
he  has  made,  there  is  not  only  the  light 
that  shines  from  his  greatness,  but  also 
the  love  that  yearns  over  the  work 
of  his  hands.  He  cannot  be  deceived, 
and  still  less  can  he  deceive.  Natural 
religion  rests  on  this  truth,  and  reason 
itself  would  be  unanchored,  if  God  were 
to  descend  from  his  throne,  which  is  the 
centre  of  light  and  love  to  the  universe. 
The  laws  of  evidence  depend  on  his  ve- 
racity, which  nothing  can  shake.  "  Heaven 
and  earth  may  pass  away :  the  Word  of 
God    standeth    sure    for   ever." 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  j$ 

Christianity  rests  on  this  certainty,  as 
its  revelations  are  addressed  to  those  who 
cannot  doubt  the  existence  of  the  Infinite 
Mind,  nor  the  possibility  of  his  communi- 
cation with  his  creatures.  We  have  no 
right  to  question  the  mode  of  such  com- 
munications, which  depend  solely  upon  the 
divine  pleasure,  nor  the  matter  of  a  re- 
velation, since  the  supernatural  is  wholly 
above  our  vision.  Without  referring  here  to 
times  and  dispensations  past,  we  argue  that 
Jesus  Christ  comes  upon  earth  professing  to 
be  the  Messiah  long  predicted,  the  expected 
hope  of  Jews  and  Gentiles.  Prophecies, 
proved  to  be  divine  by  their  fulfilment,  are 
centred  in  him.  He  claims  to  be  more 
than  man,  even  to  be  equal  with  the  Eternal 
Father  as  his  consubstantial  Son.  To 
authenticate  this  claim  he  works  undoubted 
miracles,    and    at   last    raises    himself    from 


74  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

the  sepulchre,  and  appears  to  many  and 
undoubted  witnesses.  If  we  refuse  cre- 
dence to  these  witnesses,  we  must  in  con 
sistency  refuse  our  trust  in  any  external 
testimony.  Now,  as  we  have  seen,  Jesus 
Christ  staked  his  veracity  and  divine  cha- 
racter on  the  church  which  he  established, 
and  with  which  he  promised  to  abide. 
Let  us  suppose  for  a  moment  that  Peter 
and  his  successors  are  not  the  supreme 
pastors  of  the  church,  and  what  are  the 
direct  logical  consequences  ? 

First,  there  is  now  no  church  whatever 
on  earth ;  no  visible  body  of  Christ ;  no  re- 
presentative of  the  Incarnate  Word,  who 
spake  the  language  of  grace  and  truth. 
Different  sects,  agreeing  in  no  doctrine, 
separated  from  each  other's  communion, 
and  contending  against  each  other,  are 
surely  not  one   flock    under   one   shepherd. 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  75 

The  world  can  never  hear,  if  it  would,  a 
voice  of  truth  from  lips  whose  names  are 
legion,  and  whose  tones  are  discord.  The 
church  has  failed.  The  fragments  of  the 
wreck  float  around,  but  the  bark  that  was 
launched  on  Galilee  has  gone  to  pieces. 
What,  then,  has  become  of  the  promise 
of  Christ,  "Behold  I  am  with  you  all  days 
unto  the  consummation  of  the  world "  ? 
That  promise  has  never  been  fulfilled. 
The   Son  of  God  has  not  kept  his   truth. 

Secondly,  the  Christian  church  was  built 
upon  Peter  as  its  head  and  immovable 
foundation.  "Thou  art  Peter;  and  on 
this  rock  will  I  build  my  church,  and  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it."  The  church  of  Christ  is  founded 
upon  Peter,  and  any  church  which  rests 
not  upon  him  is  no  church  of  Christ,  by 
whatever    name    it    may    be    called.      The 


76  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

word  of  the  Lord  must  be  kept  with 
Peter,  or  we  can  trust  him  in  nothing. 
The  church,  says  he,  which  I  will  build 
on  thee  shall  stand  to  the  end  of  time; 
"the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it."  If  this  plain  promise  has  been  broken, 
and  there  is  no  house  of  God  resting 
surely  on  Peter,  and  no  flock  which  he 
feeds,  then  is  Jesus  Christ  neither  true 
prophet  nor  divine  teacher.  The  whole 
of  his  blessed  life  turns  out  to  be  cunningly 
devised  fiction. 

Again,  Christianity  is  not  a  pious  feel- 
ing towards  our  Lord,  nor  self-complacency 
at  the  thought  of  his  love :  it  is  the  com- 
plex of  truths  which  he  taught,  which  are 
one  perfect  whole  that  cannot  be  divided. 
We  do  not  accept  the  Gospel  and  its 
verities  because  they  commend  themselves 
to    our  taste,   but  because  they   are  taught 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.         yj 

to  us  by  God.  They  all  rest  upon  a 
divine  authority,  and  stand  or  fall  in  their 
completeness.  If  there  is  no  visible  church 
speaking  in  its  living-  unity,  or,  which  is 
the  same,  no  supreme  visible  pastor,  who 
shall  tell  what  and  where  Christianity  is  ? 
It  cannot  be  in  the  motley  group  of  con- 
tradictions, nor  in  the  Babel  tongues  of 
sects  which  send  up  their  confusing  voices, 
and  darken  counsel  by  words  without 
knowledge.  Self-love  will  blind  its  own 
eyes,  and  prejudice  drive  to  palpable  false- 
hood, but  reason  will  not  accept  a  logical 
impossibility.  If  this  be  Christianity,  it  is 
a  total  failure.  We  are  not  staggered  at 
the  trials  of  the  faithful.  We  would  ex- 
pect to  see  the  church  which  Peter  guides 
go  down  to  her  Gethsemani  or  ascend 
to  her  Calvary ;  but  to  see  her  broken 
to  fragments   till   no   trace  of  her   form   re- 


78  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

mains,  and  in  her  place  rise  up  a  thousand 
conflicting  forces,   as   if  she   had  bred  rep- 
tiles   of   her   own    body,    the    fruits    of  her 
dissolution ;    this  cannot  be   reconciled  with 
the   divinity   of  her  founder.     For  an  utter 
rout    like    this,    are    we    asked    to    believe 
that     God     became     man,     and    lived    and 
died  on  earth  ?     Even   false  prophets   have 
done    works    more   wonderful    than    these, 
and  the  votaries  of    lies   have   not  so  sio- 
nally    failed.        Heathen    mythologies    have 
not    yet    died    out ;     the    Jewish    theocracy 
lived  its  long-  day,  and  Christianity,  planted 
by    a    divine    hand    and    watered    by    the 
tears    and   blood    of  the    Son    of  God,  has 
become     a     Babel     of    confusion     and    an 
enigma   of  contradictions. 

Yet,  when  the  spirit  of  dissent  has  run 
its  logical  course,  and  the  founder  of  our 
religion  is  counted  an  impostor,  where  shall 


T'he  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  79 

shine  the  liq-ht  of  nature,  or  in  what  reeion 
shall  reason  hold  up  her  torch  ?  If  the 
miracles  of  the  new  law  be  rejected,  and 
revelation  falls,  where  shall  man  repose  his 
trust  when  his  God  has  so  skilfully  de- 
ceived him  ?  No  prophet  can  come  to 
him  with  the  light  from  the  infinite  for 
which  his  soul  yearns.  No  sun  shall  arise 
to  chase  away  the  gloom  from  the  land  of 
the  shadow  of  death.  There  let  him 
hopelessly  mourn  till,  like  the  beast  that 
perishes,  he  be  gathered  to  his  fathers, 
and  dust  returns  to  dust.  If  one  rise  from 
the  dead,  he  cannot  believe  the  testimony 
of  his  senses.  It  is  only  another  decep- 
tion of  which  he  may  be  victim,  and  he 
will  cry  out  within  himself:  "Is  there  a 
God  of  love  and  truth  unbounded  that 
can    thus    sport   with   my  misery,   or   am   I 


80         The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

myself  a  lie,  the  central  figure  in  a  scene 
of  delusion  ?  " 

Such  are  the  thoughts  of  more  souls 
than  one  in  these  days  which  boast  of 
their  freedom  and  illumination.  Such  are 
the  steps  which  descend  unfailingly,  by  a 
logic  that  cannot  be  withstood,  to  the 
dark  chambers  of  infidelity,  where  even 
the  sunshine  of  reason  is  put  out.  Chris- 
tianity stands  or  falls  as  Jesus  Christ 
formed  it.  If  it  fails  us,  everything  falls 
with  it.  We  cannot  go  back  to  the  days 
of  pure  reason,  for  the  light  within  us 
is  distorted,  and  we  have  lost  our  confi- 
dence in  the  God  who  made  us. 

Here  we  rest  our  argument,  convinced 
that  with  it  lies  the  salvation  of  man 
not  only  from  sin,  but  from  the  dangers 
that   threaten    the    understanding    as    well 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  8  i 

as  the  heart.  Our  words  may  be  of  no 
avail  where  they  are  most  needed,  and 
fall  only  as  the  seed  which  perishes  in 
barren  soil.  Yet  are  they  earnest  words 
of  truth  and  charity  to  all.  The  day 
gives  its  sad  testimony  to  the  evils  which 
have  come,  and  continue  to  increase,  from 
the  rejection  of  the  one  fold,  where, 
through  his  chosen  vicar,  the  Word  made 
flesh  continues  to  feed  his  flock  with  the 
unchangeable  truth.  Protestantism  in  its 
various  forms  has  no  power  to  hold  the 
intellect  or  attract  the  heart.  A  semblance 
of  Christianity  lingers  as  a  familiar  tradi- 
tion, through  force  of  education,  or  inability 
to  grasp  any  other  remedy  for  spiritual 
wants,  where  it  has  inconsistent  shapes, 
and  offends  every  dictate  of  right  reason. 
In  matters  of  human  life,  men  see  clearly 
and   argue   sharply,    while   the    interests  of 


&2  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

eternity  are  postponed  or  suspended  on 
fancies  and  logical  contradictions.  The 
facts  of  history  are  accepted  at  once 
where  they  do  not  touch  the  great  ques 
tion  of  religion.  The  history  of  Christ 
and  his  dealings  with  our  race  is  disputed 
or  laid  aside  as  of  no  consequence  to  the 
world.  Inconsistencies  which  would  be 
tolerated  nowhere  else,  abound  in  the 
realm  of  theology,  and  there  reason  as- 
serts   its    rights   in  vain. 

It  is  thought  a  mark  of  advancement  in 
knowledge  to  throw  off  the  shackles  of  all 
truths  heretofore  received,  and  to  enter  upon 
their  investigation  as  if  there  were  nothing 
certain,  nothing  to  be  believed,  as  if  God 
had  never  spoken  to  man,  or  thrown  the 
beams  of  his  splendor  into  the  waste 
places  of  the  creation.  Philanthropy  passes 
for     virtue,     and     humanity     becomes     the 


The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  %$ 

highest  idea  of  religion.  God  ceases  to 
be  a  moral  governor  when  hell  and  hea- 
ven are  accounted  fables,  and,  as  man  be- 
comes all-sufficient  for  himself,  the  throne 
of  the  Eternal  is  levelled,  that  the  creature 
may  sit  thereon,  the  equal  of  his  creator. 
Jesus  Christ  himself  is  only  one  of  many 
philanthropists,  good  in  his  intentions,  pure 
in  his  life  and  maxims,  but  an  enthusiast 
carried  away  by  his  own  ardor,  and  de- 
ceived by  the  strength  of  his  imagina- 
tions. 

They  who  fear  the  end  of  such  opi- 
nions need  well  to  examine  the  grounds 
of  their  creed.  Is  it,  indeed,  a  faith  which 
they  have  received  from  the  lips  of  God, 
and  have  they  heard  the  only  voice  that 
can  teach  of  things  eternal,  the  voice  of 
the  "Word  made  flesh"?  That  voice  can 
only  be   heard    in   the  august  temple  built 


84  The  Supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

upon  a  rock,  bearing  the  likeness  of  his 
humanity,  and  standing  fast  in  his  strength. 
The  waves  of  centuries  have  broken  in 
vain  against  that  rock  which  no  tempest 
has  been  able  to  shake.  The  floods  have 
arisen,  the  floods  have  conspired  together 
in  their  might.  "The  kings  of  the  earth 
have  stood  up,  and  princes  have  taken 
counsel  together  against  the  Lord  and 
his  Christ.  Let  us  break  their  bonds, 
and  cast  their  yoke  from  us.  He  that 
dwelleth  in  heaven  shall  laugh  at  them, 
and  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  deri- 
sion. .  .  .  Yet  am  I  placed  by  him,  a 
king  upon  Sion,  his  holy  mountain,  teach- 
ing his  precepts.  The  Lord  hath  said  to 
me,  Thou  art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I 
begotten  thee.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  Gentiles  for  thine  inherit- 
ance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  thy   possession." 


The  Stipremacy  of  the  Pope.         85 

"  God  is  our  refuse  and  strength.  He 
hath  sanctified  his  own  tabernacle.  The 
Lord  of  Hosts  is  with  her,  and  she  shall 
not  be  moved,  though  the  earth  be  shak- 
en, and  the  mountains  be  cast  into  the 
heart  of  the  sea."  The  voice  of  the  God- 
Man  still  echoes  from  Galilee :  "  Simon, 
son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than 
these?"  Then,  "Feed  the  lambs  and 
sheep "   for  whom    I    died    and   rose   again. 


Lecture   Second. 

THE    INFALLIBILITY    OF    THE    POPE. 

"And  the  Lord  said,  Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath 
desired  to  have  you,  that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat:  hut 
I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not :  and  thou 
being  once  converted,  confirm  thy  brethren." — St.  Luke 
xxii.  31,  32. 

HE  subject  which  we  are  to  treat 
to-night  is  intimately  connected 
with  that  of  our  last  lecture.  The  infal- 
libility of  the  successor  of  S.  Peter  is 
the  natural  and  necessary  consequence  of 
his  supremacy  over  the  church.  The  lat- 
ter could  hardly  exist  without  the  former, 
as  we  shall  soon  plainly  see.  There  is 
not  one  of  the  truths  of  revelation  more 
simple    than    this,    while,    perhaps,    there   is 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         87 

not  one  more  misunderstood.  Surely  there 
is  no  truth  more  important,  especially  in 
these  days  when  men  are  so  easily  led 
astray  by  false  lights,  and  when  many 
are  anxiously  inquiring  how,  amid  con- 
fusion and  contention,  they  may  know  and 
keep  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  It  settles  all 
questions  in  dispute,  brings  the  voice  of 
the  only  Saviour  of  mankind  to  each  in- 
dividual, and  answers  every  want  of  the 
intellect  and  heart.  The  city  of  God  is 
set  on  a  hill,  its  gates  are  open  night 
and  day,  and  it  hath  one  ruler  and  one 
oracle  of  truth  and  life  eternal.  Here 
speaketh  Christ  in  language  easy  to  be 
understood  ;  here  hath  the  divine  wisdom 
built  her  house,  and  prepared  the  table 
for  her  high  festival.  Here  alone  can  the 
Word  incarnate  be  known  and  seen :  the 
riches  of  Christianity  are  only  to  be  found 


88  The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

here  on  the  Sion  which  the  Lord  hath 
founded  for  his  perpetual  habitation.  We 
earnestly  invite  the  seeker  for  truth  to 
the  discussion  of  this  evening.  If  preju- 
dice could  be  laid  aside,  and  the  will 
would  obey  the  understanding,  we  should 
have  no  fear  of  failing  to  convince  every 
hearer,  and  to  guide  the  wandering  to 
those  pastures  where  the  one  Shepherd 
feeds  his  flock.  It  is  not  a  matter  of 
earth,  where  mistakes  involve  trifling  loss 
which  may  be  repaired :  it  is  an  issue 
on  which  hang  life  and  death,  Christ  or 
anti-Christ,  eternity  with  its  unending  des- 
tinies. On  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the 
verity  we  discuss  to-night  depends  the 
truth  or  falsity  of  Christianity  itself.  If 
our  proposition  be  not  true,  then  we  free- 
ly admit  that  Jesus  Christ  has  been  de- 
feated,    and    the    bright    promises    of    the 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         So. 

future  are  the  dreams  of  enthusiasts,  when, 
in  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  we,  who  call 
ourselves  Christians,  "are  of  all  men  most 
miserable."  The  streams  that  make  glad 
the  city  of  God  are  turned  into  bitter- 
ness, and  there  is  no  fountain  of  which 
the  thirsty  may  drink.  To  all  who  be- 
lieve in  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  we 
will  offer  an  argument  which  shall  be 
direct  and  unanswerable,  and  which,  there- 
fore, ought  to  produce  the  fruit  of  con- 
viction  and   obedience. 

The  infallibility  of  the  Pope  is  now  a 
matter  of  divine  faith,  since  as  such  it 
has  been  solemnly  taught  and  proposed 
by  the  CEcumenical  Council  of  the  Vati- 
can, whose  memorable  history  is  fresh  in 
the  minds  of  all.  The  Council  has  pro- 
posed nothing  new  to  our  belief.  Long 
before    its    decree,    the    infallibility    of    the 


90  The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Roman  Pontiff  was  a  doctrine  revealed 
by  God ;  a  part  of  the  original  deposit 
of  faith  delivered  by  the  universal  and*, 
constant  tradition  of  the  church,  recog- 
nized in  CEcumenical  Councils,  presup- 
posed in  the  acts  of  the  Popes  in  all 
ages,  taught  by  the  saints,  and  defended 
by  every  religious  order.  The  definition 
has  added  nothing  to  its  intrinsic  cer- 
tainty, for  truth  is  one  and  unchangeable : 
it  has  only  added  the  extrinsic  certainty 
of  universal  promulgation,  which  imposes 
an  obligation  upon  all  the  faithful.  "With 
the  exception  of  the  modern  opinion  of 
the  local  and  transient  Gallican  school,  the 
general  and  traditionary  faith  of  the  church 
in  the  infallibility  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs 
has   never  been   obscured."* 

That    narrow  and    transient    school    of 

*  See  Pastoral  of  Archbishop  Manning.  Petri  Privilegium. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         9 1 

theologians  has  received  far  too  much 
notice,  and,  beyond  the  Catholic  commu- 
nion, far  too  much  credit.  Evil,  indeed, 
was  wrought  by  it,  for  error  is  always 
deadly,  and  far-reaching  in  its  consequences ; 
but  it  was  never  allowed  to  influence  the 
body  of  the  faithful.  Arising  in  France 
under  the  royal  favor,  it  sprang  up  with- 
out warrant  or  antecedent,  was  affirmed 
by  only  a  few  of  the  bishops,  while  it 
was  rejected  by  the  great  majority  of 
them,  and  condemned  by  three  Popes  in 
succession.  In  other  countries  than  France 
it  has  never  prevailed,  and  has  only  been 
used  in  argument  by  those  whose  minds 
were  already  out  of  sympathy  with  the 
current  of  Catholic  thought  and  feeling. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Gen- 
eral Councils  or  the  Pontiffs  of  the  church 
define    any    new   doctrines.     The    definition 


92  The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

only  places  in  clear  dogmatic  outlines  and 
in  exact  words,  with  universal  obligation 
of  belief,  that  which  was  in  reality  always 
a  part  of  the  original  deposit  of  revela- 
tion. It  simply  declares  that  such  a  doc- 
trine was  revealed  by  Jesus  Christ,  as  the 
vicars  of  our  Lord  are  witnesses  and 
keepers   of  the  faith  entrusted  to  them. 

The  fact  of  dissension,  and  even  vigorous 
disputations,  before  the  definition  of  any 
doctrine,  is  no  evidence  to  the  contrary 
of  our  assertion.  Such  has  ever  been  the 
case  when  important  verities,  assailed  by 
the  malice  of  Satan,  were  to  take,  in  the 
ways  of  divine  Providence,  their  last  and 
perfect  shape.  It  was  so  with  the  dogmas 
of  the  Holy  Trinity  and  the  Incarnation, 
defined  at  Nice,  and  in  the  subsequent 
councils,  and  yet  no  one  can  for  a  moment 
suppose  that  these  dogmas  were  then  new 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         93 

to  the  church.  The  discussion  also  falls 
upon  many  other  points  besides  the  truth 
of  the  doctrine  in  question ;  upon  the 
phraseology  to  be  employed,  or  the  manner 
and  the  time  of  promulgation.  And  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  ever  guides  the  coun- 
cils of  the  church,  so  disposes  events  that 
the  authoritative  word  shall  be  spoken 
when  it  is  required  for  the  strength  of  the 
faithful,  and  the  cure  or  defeat  of  the 
evils  which  in  any  age  threaten  Christian- 
ity. We  need  not  wonder,  then,  if  at 
this  supreme  moment  the  enemies  of  reli- 
gion raise  their  heads  for  a  last  attack, 
or  that  spirits  of  falsehood  come  dressed 
in  the  garb  of  angels  of  light.  We  shall 
ever  find  harmony  in  the  ways  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  shall  ever  see  the  per- 
fect accord  between  the  tradition  of  the 
church   and    her   solemn    definitions.     This, 


94  The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

and    much    more    than  this,   will   appear  in 
the   brief  argument   of  this  lecture. 

The  treatment  of  our  subject  with  clear- 
ness   and    simplicity    will    require    the    fol- 
lowing divisions  : 
I.  The  definition   of  the  terms  employed, 
and   the   precise  meaning  we   attach 
to   the   infallibility  of  the   Pope. 
II.  The   evidence   from   reason. 

III.  The   evidence  from    Holy   Scripture. 

IV.  The  evidence  from   history. 

V.  An  answer  to  some  of  the  principal 
objections  made  against  our  doc- 
trine. 


i. 


THE     DEFINITION     OF     PAPAL     INFALLIBILITY. 

The  best  explanation  of  what  the  Ca- 
tholic Church  means  by  the  infallibility 
of  the  Vicar    of   Christ    will    be    found    in 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         95 

the  dogmatic  Constitution  of  the  Vatican 
Council  upon  the  Church  of  Christ*  In 
this  constitution,  the  nature  of  the  Church 
and  the  nature  of  Peter's  primacy  are 
fully  explained.  We  give  here  only  the 
closing  words  in  which  the  definition  is 
contained:  "Therefore,  faithfully  adhering 
to  the  tradition  received  from  the  beein- 
ning  of  the  Christian  faith,  for  the  glory 
of  God  our  Saviour,  the  exaltation  of  the 
Catholic  religion,  and  the  salvation  of 
Christian  people,  the  Sacred  Council  ap- 
proving, we  teach  and  define  that  it  is 
a  dogma  divinely  revealed :  that  the  Ro- 
man Pontiff,  when  he  speaks  ex  cathedra, 
that  is,  when,  in  discharge  of  the  office 
of  pastor  and  doctor  of  all  Christians,  he 
defines  a  doctrine  regarding  faith  or 
morals,     to     be     held      by     the     universal 

*  See  Appendix   to   these   Lectures 


96  The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Church ;  by  the  divine  assistance  promised 
to  him  in  Blessed  Peter,  is  possessed  of 
that  infallibility  with  which  the  divine  Re- 
deemer willed  that  his  church  should  be 
endowed  for  defining  doctrine  concerning 
faith  or  morals :  and  that,  therefore,  such 
definitions  of  the  Roman  Pontiff  are  irre- 
formable  of  themselves,  and  not  from  the 
consent  of  the  church." 

These  admirable  words  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  express  in  clear  terms  the  truth 
of  which   we   speak. 

First,  this  infallibility  belongs  to  the 
Pontiff  when  he  acts  ex  cathedra,  or  offi- 
cially, as  the  pastor  and  teacher  of  all 
Christians.  It  belongs  not  to  him  as  a 
private  person  or  private  doctor.  When 
he  acts  as  such,  he  may  be  subject  to 
error;  but  when,  as  teacher  of  the  whole 
church,  he  speaks  as  its  head,  he  is  whol- 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         97 

ly  exempt  from  error.  It  will  be  seen 
at  once  that  this  definition  propounds  no- 
thing in  regard  to  the  private  life  or 
probation  of  the  Pope.  He  is  not  impec- 
cable more  than  any  other  man,  nor  in 
any  way  less  subject  than  any  one  else  to 
the  laws  of  God.  Rather  his  high  posi- 
tion and  his  great  graces  increase  his 
responsibility.  The  impeccability  of  the 
Roman  Pontiff  has  been  urcred  against 
us  through  the  ignorance  or  dishonesty 
of  our  adversaries ;  it  has  never  been 
thought  of  by  Catholic  theologians. 

Secondly,  the  object  of  infallibility  is  the 
doctrine  concerning  faith  or  morals.  The 
witness  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ  regards 
the  way  of  salvation,  the  whole  revelation 
of  faith,  the  law  of  God  as  binding  upon 
man,  the  truths  and  morals  of  the  natural 
and    the    supernatural    order ;     in    fine,    all 


98  The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

that  belongs  to  the  sanctification  of  our 
race  through  the  redemption  of  the  Incar- 
nate Word.  This  includes  an  infallible 
guidance,  not  only  in  regard  to  positive 
truth  revealed,  but  also  in  regard  to  things 
directly  opposed  to  revelation,  since  the 
church  must  have  power  to  proscribe  doc- 
trines which  are  contrary  to  the  creed 
which  she  maintains.  So  says  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  Vatican  Council,  in  its 
chapter  on  faith  and  reason.*  "  The  church 
which,  together  with  the  Apostolic  office 
of  teaching,  has  received  a  cnarge  to 
guard  the  deposit  of  faith,  derives  from 
God  the  right  and  duty  of  proscribing 
false  science,  lest  any  should  be  deceived 
by  philosophy  and  vain  fallacy."  The  pro- 
cesses of  philosophy  or  science  she  does 
not    meddle    with,    unless    they  touch   faith 

*  See  Appendix, 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.         99 

or  are  at  variance  with  the  revealed 
word. 

Thirdly,  it  seems  hardly  necessary  to 
state  that  this  infallibility  conferred  upon 
S.  Peter  and  his  successors  in  office  is 
a  gift  of  God,  and  a  divine  guidance  pro- 
mised and  given  by  Christ,  from  whom 
all  grace  proceeds.  It  is,  like  inspiration, 
a  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  but,  unlike  in- 
spiration, it  refers  not  to  any  power  which 
they  have  to  declare  new  truths,  but  to 
the  guarding,  defending,  and  expounding 
the  revelation  already  made  and  commit- 
ted to  their  trust.  They  possess  this  great 
gift  of  God  in  their  own  persons,  not  as 
private  individuals,  but  as  the  vicars  of 
Christ,  inheriting  the  graces  and  powers 
which   inhere   in   their  high  office. 

And  therefore,  as  the  decree  plainly 
states,     the     certainty     of     their    decisions 


ioo        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

comes  not  from  the  consent  of  the  church, 
which,  in  the  providence  of  Jesus  Christ, 
will  never  be  wanting,  but  from  the  in- 
fallible guidance  which  ever  sustains,  in- 
spires, and  guards  them  for  the  good  of 
the  world  and  the  preservation  of  neces- 
sary truth.  "  I  have  prayed  for  thee" 
said   our    Lord,    "that   thy  faith  fail   not." 

II. 

THE    TESTIMONY    OF    REASON. 

We  do  not  for  a  moment  intend  to 
imply  that  reason  can  establish  the  in- 
fallibility of  the  Roman  Pontiffs  as  if  it 
were  a  truth  within  its  own  sphere.  We 
wish  simply  to  state,  as  it  is  a  very  im- 
portant point  in  the  controversy,  that, 
taking  for  granted  the  facts  of  revelation, 
reason  makes  no  objection  to  our  doctrine, 
but   rather   presents    an    argument    for    its 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       101 

necessity.  By  this  statement  we  shall  de- 
stroy from  the  root  the  superficial  cavils 
of  shallow  thinkers  and  the  blind  asser- 
tions of  ignorant  disputants.  With  pre- 
judice we  do  not  pretend  to  argue,  for 
there  is  no  argument  which  it  is  capable 
of  appreciating.  Death  alone  will  open 
the  eyes  of  those  who  are  more  to  be 
pitied  than   approached  by  persuasion. 

i.  Reason  has  nothing  to  offer  against 
the  infallibility  of  the  Roman  Pontiff. 
We  here  assume  the  facts  of  revela- 
tion already  considered,  and  better  au- 
thenticated than  any  facts  known  to  man. 
These  are  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
promulgation  of  a  new  Gospel,  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  church  upon  S.  Peter  as  its 
foundation.  If  reason  had  any  objection  to 
uree,  it  must  be  found  either  in  the  nature 
of  infallibility,    or   in  the  character  of  God, 


io-2        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

or  in   the   Roman   Pontiff.      It   is   found   in 
neither,    therefore   it  does    not    exist.      For 
the    proof    of    our    second    proposition,    as 
the    first    is    self-evident,    we    thus    argue : 
There   is  nothing  in   the   nature  of  infal- 
libility   which    makes    it    impossible   or   ab- 
surd that  a  man   should   possess  it.     It  is, 
as    we    have    seen,    simply    a    supernatural 
guidance,  by    which    God,    for   great  ends, 
enlightens   a  human    mind    and    defends    a 
person  to  whom  are  committed  great  trusts. 
We   can   easily  comprehend    this    gift,    and 
in   it  we   see   no   inconsistency.       There    is 
no   reason   why   God    might    not    enlighten 
an     individual     in     regard     to     the     truths 
of  the    natural    or   the    supernatural   order. 
There   is  no   more  difficulty  intrinsically  in 
this   than   there  is  in  the  gift  of  life  or  in- 
telligent being.     If  we  believe  Christianity, 
we   are   forced   to   accept    inspiration,    and 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        103 

there  is  surely  no  greater  difficulty  in  in- 
fallibility than  in  inspiration.  Most  Pro- 
testants receive  the  inspiration  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  by  this  confess  that  in  it  there 
is  nothing  repugnant  to  their  understand- 
ings. The  true  and  only  question  is  one 
of  fact :  "  Has  God  imparted  this  gift,  or 
has  he   not  ?" 

For,  secondly,  no  one  can  say  that  God 
cannot  give  such  a  power,  if  in  his  wis- 
dom he  sees  fit  so  to  do,  without  attack- 
ing the  divine  omnipotence,  and  so  deny- 
ing the  existence  of  a  God.  God,  infinitely 
perfect  of  necessity,  can  do  everything 
which  implies  no  contradiction  of  himself. 
Contradiction  is  impossible,  for  it  is  the 
negation  of  power.  No  one  pretends  that 
there  is  any  contradiction  of  God  in  the 
gift  of  infallibility,  and  so  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty   on    his   part.       He    may    bestow    this 


104        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

infallible  guidance  to  man  when  and  where 
his  supreme  wisdom  prompts  him  to  act 
for  his  own  glory  and  the  good  of  his 
creatures. 

Thirdly,  the  Roman  Pontiff  is  a  man 
endowed  with  intelligence,  and  capable  of 
receiving  the  cfift  which  the  Lord  sees  fit 
to  grant.  It  does  not  extinguish,  but  aids 
his  natural  power,  and  enables  him  to  see 
the  truth,  and  only  the  truth,  when  he  is 
called  to  act  and  speak  as  an  agent  of 
Christ.  This,  in  fact,  is  the  way  in  which 
God  has  always  spoken  to  our  race.  He 
has  not  addressed  us  as  individuals,  ncr 
has  he  communicated  with  us  as  a  body  ; 
but  he  has  conveyed  his  words  to  us 
through  prophets  and  teachers,  whom  he 
has  sent  with  authority  to  speak  in  his 
name.  We  say,  therefore,  confidently,  that 
reason   finds   no  objection  whatever  to  the 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       105 

doctrine  that  the  Vicar  of  Christ  is  infalli- 
ble in  his  dogmatic  definitions.  It  would 
not  be  difficult  to  show  by  strict  logic  that 
the  prejudices  of  many  are  unreasonable, 
and  that  the  fallacies  on  which  they  de- 
pend for  all  they  know  or  believe  are  un- 
worthy of  sincere  men  who  are  possessed 
of  intelligence. 

2.  Reason  thus  argues  in  favor  of  our 
doctrine  : 

First,  Christianity,  being  essentially  a 
complex  of  truths  revealed  by  God,  cannot 
be  maintained  upon  earth  without  a  teacher 
whose  utterances  shall  be  infallible.  A 
teacher  who  may  by  any  possibility  deceive 
us  is  surely  no  teacher  at  all,  and  if  men 
do  not  receive  the  truths  of  revelation  pre- 
cisely as  they  are,  they  do  not  receive 
Christianity.  Everything  human  is  liable 
to   change,    and   so   a  creed  depending    on 


106        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

human  agency  alone  for  its  perpetuation 
would  soon  pass  away.  There  must  be  a 
living  voice  to  guide  us  and  proclaim  the 
truth  to  us,  for  both  experience  and  com- 
mon sense  demonstrate  that  no  written 
page  can  be  a  teacher  able  to  secure  for 
itself  an  unerring  interpretation.  If,  then, 
an  infallible  oracle  be  required,  where  shall 
one  be  found  more  conformable  to  the  de- 
mands  of  reason  than  a  succession  of  teach- 
ers sustained  by  divine  power  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  office,  through  whom  the 
God  who  redeems  us  shall  speak  ? 

Secondly,  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ 
was  instituted  to  preserve  among  man- 
kind the  doctrine  of  its  founder.  It  repre- 
sents him  to  the  world,  and  must,  there- 
fore, speak  his  word,  or  become  utterly 
useless  for  the  end  for  which  it  exists. 
When   it  speaks   falsehood,  it  ceases  to  be 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        107 

the  church  of  Christ  in  any  sense,  and 
really  becomes  his  worst  adversary.  There 
is  here  a  contradiction  in  terms.  It  is,  and 
it  is  not  the  Christian  church,  at  one  and 
the  same  time.  It  is  the  church  in  fact, 
and  it  is  not  the  church  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  it  teaches  error.  But  how  shall 
this  church  speak  to  the  world  ?  Unity  is 
its  first  requisite,  and  there  cannot  be 
unity  without  a  head.  It  is  a  society  dis- 
persed throughout  the  world,  and  cannot 
communicate  with  the  world  except  through 
the  one  voice  of  its  head.  Taking,  therefore, 
the  facts  of  our  religion  into  consideration, 
we  argue  that  nothing  is  so  in  accordance 
with  the  necessities  of  our  nature  and  the 
conditions  of  revelation  as  that  there  should 
be  a  living  teacher,  and  that  the  church, 
whose  office  it  is  to  teach,  should  speak 
through   its    head. 


1 08        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Lastly,  if  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ 
must  be  kept  in  the  truth,  and  must,  by  a 
very  necessity  of  its  existence,  proclaim 
unerringly  that  truth,  then  its  head  must 
be  infallibly  guided.  For  it  cannot  be 
without  a  head,  as  a  headless  body  is  a 
monstrosity.  The  head  cannot,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  be  a  mere  ornamental 
appendage.  It  will  act  for  the  body,  and 
exists  for  the  same  end  as  that  for  which 
the  body  was  constituted.  The  body  will 
pay  obedience  to  its  head,  or,  as  S.  Paul 
argues,  there  will  be  an  unnatural  schism 
and  a  discord,  which  is  impossible  in  the 
works  of  God.  No  human  artist  would 
be  guilty  of  such  a  folly.  A  fallible  head 
of  an  infallible  body  is  a  contradiction  in 
itself.  If  the  church,  which  is  our  guide 
in  things  revealed,  were  to  follow  its  head, 
and  that  head  were  not  exempt  from  error, 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        109 

then  the  whole  custody  of  revelation  would 
he  abandoned,  and  "the  pillar  and  ground 
of  truth  "  would  fall.  Contradictions  would 
abound  on  every  side.  There  would  be  a 
head  which  would  not  be  a  head,  and  a 
church  which  would  not  be  a  church,  a 
teacher  which  would  not  be  a  teacher, 
and  a  divine  Redeemer  less  wise  than 
man,    and,    therefore,    not   divine. 

We  say,  then,  that,  while  reason  has 
nothing-  against  our  doctrine,  it  has  many 
things  in  its  favor.  We  say  that  our  sys- 
tem is  harmonious,  consistent,  and  logical 
throughout,  and  that  our  adversaries,  on 
the  contrary,  are  inconsistent  with  them- 
selves, and  ever  violating  the  first  rules 
of  sound  argument.  It  is  not  in  the  pro- 
vince of  reason  to  discover  truths  super- 
natural, but  the  unity  and  beauty  of  God's 
works   in   grace   are   enough   to   kindle   our 


1 1  o        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

adoring  admiration.  The  same  hand  that 
formed  the  firmament,  and  caused  order  to 
spring  from  chaos,  and  light  from  dark- 
ness, designed  the  more  wonderful  and 
no   less  beautiful  ways  of  redeeming  love. 

in. 

THE    EVIDENCE    OF     HOLY    SCRIPTURE. 

i.  We  cannot  altogether  pass  over  the 
symbolical  evidence  in  favor  of  Papal  in- 
fallibility with  which  the  New  Testament 
abounds.  We  have  alluded  to  it  in  the 
former  lecture,  and  need  not  dwell  upon 
it  here.  Our  Lord,  being  God  as  well  as 
man,  did  nothing  without  an  end,  and 
truth  is  taught  in  his  acts  as  well  as  in  his 
words.  When  not  one  of  a  thousand  of 
his  sayings  and  doings  is  recorded,  sure- 
ly those  which  are  written  have  great  sig- 
nificance.    There  is,   therefore,  a  lesson   in 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 1 1 

his  whole  treatment  of  S.  Peter,  in  the 
name  which  he  gave  him,  in  the  words, 
"Thou  shalt  henceforth  catch  men,"  in  the 
fact  that  he  teaches  from  Peter's  boat,  in 
the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  and  in 
the  scene  after  the  resurrection,  when  this 
favored  apostle  drags  the  net  to  the  shore 
where  stood  the  glorified  humanity  of  the 
Son  of  God.  If  these  things  mean  any- 
thing, they  certainly  symbolize  the  office 
of  S.  Peter,  in  which  he  was  specially  to 
represent  Christ  and  teach  the  world  in 
his  name. 

2.  The  different  dispensations  of  God 
are  in  harmony  with  each  other,  and  the 
Old  Law  was  a  preparation  for  the  New. 
The  high-priest  was,  by  divine  institution, 
the  head  of  the  Jewish  Church.  He  held 
the  commission  from  on  high  to  be  the 
interpreter    of    the   law    and  the   judge  of 


1 1 2        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

controversies,  from  whose  sentence  there 
was  no  appeal.  The  church  of  the  old  dis- 
pensation was  coextensive  with  the  nation 
of  Israel,  the  peculiar  people  of  God,  con- 
secrated to  him  in  the  person  of  the  high- 
priest.  The  kings  who  ruled  over  the 
Jews  were  only  military  leaders,  bound  to 
protect  and  uphold  the  observance  of  the 
law,  but  the  interpretation  of  the  Mosaic 
code  was  reserved  to  the  high -priest 
alone.  Thus  say  the  words  of  the  Old 
Testament :  "  If  thou  perceive  that  there 
be  among  you  a  hard  and  doubtful  matter, 
thou  shalt  come  to  the  priests  of  the  Levi- 
tical  race,  and  to  the  judge  that  shall  be 
at  that  time."  *  We  do  not  draw  a  strict 
parallel  between  the  high-priest  and  the 
Vicar  of   Christ   under   the  new  law.     Far 

greater   is   the  glory   of  the  new  covenant, 

*  Deut.  xvii.  8-12. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 1 3 

which  possesses  the  graces  of  an  Incarnate 
God;  yet  with  the  Christian  fathers  we 
find,  in  the  successors  of  Aaron,  a  type  of 
a  more  wonderful  priesthood,  a  symbol  of 
the  great  apostle  who,  in  his  lineal  de- 
scendants, ever  rules  the  flock  of  Christ, 
and  teaches  truth  to  the  nations.  Both 
Jewish  and  Christian  authorities  agree  that 
the  high-priest  received  a  certain  special 
assistance  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  prero- 
gative of  his  office,  which  assistance  was 
not  wanting  to  his  decisions  concerninsf 
the  true   meaning  of  revelation. 

3.  We  pass  to  the  plain  and  direct 
words  of  Christ,  spoken  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  and  recorded  for  our  guidance. 
They  are  among  the  most  important  of  all 
his  words,  and  concern  the  very  life  of 
Christianity.  Touching  the  foundation  of 
his  church,  they   touch   the  truth   on  which 


ii4        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

rests  the  whole  system  of  revelation.  There 
are  three  texts  so  plain  and  easy  to  be 
understood  that  nothing  but  prejudice  or* 
a  perverse  will  can  misinterpret  them.  We 
take  them,  as  we  take  all  the  Scriptures, 
in   their  literal   sense. 

In  S.  Matthew  xvi.  15-19,  our  Lord 
promises  to  make  S.  Peter  the  foundation 
of  his  church :  "On  this  rock  (on  thee, 
Peter)  will  I  build  my  church ;  and  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." 
As  we  have  before  seen,  these  words  con- 
stitute him  a  firm  and  immovable  founda- 
tion on  .which  the  Christian  church  shall 
rise ;  a  foundation  so  stable  that  the 
strongest  powers  of  evil,  the  gates  of  hell, 
can  never  shake  it.  They  can  signify  no- 
thing less,  if  words  are  of  any  use  what- 
ever. Now,  what  is  contained  in  this  pro- 
mise of  the  God-Man  ?     Surely,  that  Peter 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 1 5 

shall  be  the  head  of  the  church,  and  that 
in   this   office   God  shall   give  him  firmness 
and    stability    against   every    attack    of  the 
adversary   or   law   of    death.       A    building 
depends  upon  its  foundation  in  such  sense 
that  the  stability  of  the  one  is  directly  de- 
pendent   upon    the    solidity    of    the    other. 
The   great   function   of  the    church    is   con- 
fessedly to   teach.      "  Go  ye,   therefore,  into 
all  the  world,  and  teach  all  nations."     The 
great  function,    then,   of  the   church's    head 
would  be  to   teach,    and,   in  the   profession 
of  the   true  faith,  to  preserve  the  body  from 
all    inroads    of    heresy   and   corruptions   of 
error.     Manifestly,  if  the  head  were  to  fall 
from    faith,    the    foundation    would   lose    its 
solidity,   and  the  building  could  not  stand. 
He  can  be  no  rock  who  can  fall  from  the 
truth  or   become   the  teacher  of  false  doc- 
trine.     And  to  this   plain   meaning   of  the 


1 1 6        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

text  correspond  the  circumstances  of  the 
great  promise.  It  was  to  Peter's  faith, 
which  he  received  "  not  from  flesh  and 
blood,  but  from  heaven,"  by  special  gift, 
that  our  Lord  responded  in  these  memor- 
able words,  as  if  to  say  :  "  God  has  given 
thee  the  peculiar  grace  to  know  the  myste- 
ries of  the  kingdom,  and  this  grace  shall 
abide  in  thee  to  the  end,  and  therefore 
shalt  thou  be  the  firm  rock  on  which  the 
edifice  of  faith  shall  stand  unmoved.  Soon- 
er shall  heaven  pass  away  than  the  word 
of  truth  fail  from  thy  lips."  Such  was  the 
interpretation  of  the  early  Christians ;  such 
the  unanimous  sense  of  the  fathers.  "The 
faith  of  Peter,"  says  S.  Hilary,  "  is  the 
foundation  of  the  church :  through  it  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  be  weak  against  her" 
— "  Hffic  fides  (Petri)  ecclesioe  fundamen- 
tum  erit :    per  hanc   fidem  infimae  adversus 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 1  7 

earn  sunt  portse  inferorum."  "This  faith," 
says  S.  Ambrose,  "  is  the  foundation  of 
the  church ;  for  not  of  Peter's  flesh,  but 
of  his  faith,  was  it  said  that  the  gates 
of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  it. 
His  confession  defeated  hell.  And  this 
confession  overturned  more  than  one  her- 
esy. The  church,  like  a  stout  vessel,  is 
beaten  by  many  stormy  waves,  and  there- 
fore the  foundation  of  the  church  must  be 
sufficient  against   all   heresies." 

Peter,  then,  being  the  rock  of  the 
church  and  of  the  faith,  must  never  fail 
to  support  the  superstructure.  The  founda- 
tion of  the  whole  building  must  be  itself 
immovable,  and  Peter  infallible  in  his 
teaching.  Whatever  he  shall  bind  on  earth, 
God  on  high  shall  bind  ;  whatever  his  hand 
shall  loose,  shall  be  free  before  the  judg- 
ment of  heaven.     Either,  therefore,  by  these 


n8        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

words  our  Lord  builds  on  the  shifting 
sands,  and  engages  himself  to  sanction 
with  divine  authority  laws  and  declarations 
which  may  be  in  opposition  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  faith  and  morals,  or  he  promised 
to  make  his  great  apostle  steadfast  and 
infallible.  Let  the  believer  in  Christianity 
and  the  divinity  of  its  founder  choose 
from   these  two   conclusions. 

We  examine,  secondly,  the  memorable 
passage  of  S.  Luke  (xxii.  31,  32)  which 
the  councils  and  fathers  of  the  church  have 
directly  interpreted  as  an  assurance  of  in- 
fallibility to  S.  Peter  and  his  successors 
in  office.  "And  the  Lord  said,  Simon, 
Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to  have 
you  (all  the  apostles,  in  the  plural),  that 
he  may  sift  you  as  wheat.  But  I  have 
prayed   for   thee,    that    thy    faith    fail    not : 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 1 9 

and    thou    being    once    converted,    confirm 
thy  brethren." 

The  passion  and  death  of  Christ  were 
surely  a  great  trial  to  the  disciples.  "  I 
will  smite  the  shepherd,"  said  the  prophe- 
cy, "and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered." 
This  terrible  trial  to  those  who  had  learn- 
ed to  know  and  love  their  Master,  was 
made  the  occasion  of  extraordinary  tempt- 
ations by  the  adversary  of  man.  The  cross 
was  the  weapon  of  "  principalities  and 
powers "  against  the  Son  of  God.  Satan 
never  fought  a  more  fearful  battle  than 
on  Calvary,  where  he  was  conquered  by 
the  very  death  which  he  had  contrived. 
He  sought  to  disperse  and  discourage  the 
flock  which  Christ  had  gathered  to  per- 
petuate his  Gospel.  In  the  passage  quot- 
ed, our  Lord  refers  to  this,  and  adds  that 
he    had    prayed    especially    for    Peter,    that 


1 20        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

his  faith  should  not  fail.  Why  this  pray- 
er for  him  more  than  for  the  other  apos- 
tles ?  The  words  which  follow  explain 
the  whole  mind  of  Christ.  It  was  be- 
cause of  his  office  to  "  confirm  his  breth- 
ren ";  because  he  was  the  rock  on  which 
the  church  was  built,  which  must  not  and 
could  not  fall.  There  is  no  just  reason  for 
this  especial  prayer  for  Peter's  steadfastness, 
unless  he  was  something  more  than  his 
brethren,  with  a  higher  office  and  duty. 
The  prayer  of  the  Son  of  God  is  never 
in  vain,  and  is  therefore  a  perpetual  war- 
rant of  the  infallibility  of  his  Vicar  on 
earth.  We  know  that  in  fear  and  sor- 
row the  apostles  forsook  their  Master  and 
fled.  We  know  that  Peter,  tempted  more 
than  all,  denied  his  Lord,  not  for  want 
of  faith  or  knowledge,  but  through  cow- 
ardice and   too   much  self-confidence.     Yet 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 2 1 

from  that  terrific  ordeal  was  he  raised  to 
be  more  steadfast  than  ever,  to  lean 
wholly  on  the  divine  arm,  and  to  strength- 
en all  his  brethren.  Such,  the  only  reason- 
able explanation  of  this  text,  is  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  early  church,  and  of  all 
antiquity.  The  apostles  represent  the 
church,  bishops,  and  people.  Peter  is 
appointed  to  strengthen  them  all,  and  by 
his  faith  to  keep  them  steady  in  the  pro- 
fession of  that  truth  against  which  the 
efforts  of  the  devil  are  ever  directed.  So 
says  the  Vatican  Council:  "All  the  vene- 
rable fathers  have  embraced,  and  the  holy 
orthodox  doctors  have  venerated  and  fol- 
lowed, this  apostolic  doctrine ;  knowing 
most  fully  that  the  see  of  Peter  remains 
ever  free  from  all  blemish  of  error, 
according    to    the    divine    promise    of    the 


1 2  2        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Lord  our  Saviour,  made  to  the  prince  of 
his  disciples,  '  I  have  prayed  for  thee, 
that  thy  faith  fail  not;  and  when  thou  art 
converted,  confirm  thy  brethren.' '  Accord- 
ing to  the  universal  and  just  sense  of  the 
church,  the  prayer  of  Christ  respects  the 
head  of  the  church  and  the  supreme  pas- 
tor in  every  age.  "This  word,"  says  Bos- 
suet,  "  is  not  a  commandment  to  S.  Peter 
as  an  individual ;  it  is  an  office  which  he 
demands  and  institutes  in  his  church  for 
ever,  for  there  must  always  be  a  Peter  to 
confirm  his  brethren  in  the  faith."  As  the 
fathers  teach,  this  infallibility  was  not  con- 
ferred on  him  for  the  sake  of  himself  alone, 
but  that  he  might  discharge  his  office  as 
the  rock  of  strength  to  the  Christian  tem- 
ple. Thus  writes  S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria : 
"The  Lord  said  to  Peter,  'And  thou  once 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       123 

converted,  strengthen  thy  brethren,'  that  is 
to  say,  be  the  support  and  teacher  of  all 
who  come  to  me  by  faith." 

So  Theophylact,  commenting  on  the  text : 
"  Since  I  appointed  thee  prince  of  all  the 
apostles,  confirm  the  others  ;  for  this  becomes 
thee,  who  art,  after  me,  the  rock  and  foun- 
dation of  the  church."  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Peter  here  received  the  gift  of 
indefectibility  in  faith;  and  it  is  certain, 
from  reason  and  Christian  tradition,  that 
he  received  it  because  of  his  office,  which 
is  transmitted,  with  its  endowment  of  grace, 
to  the  end  of  time.  For  as  the  church  can- 
not exist  without  a  head,  neither  can  it 
exist  without  a  head  whose  fidelity  to 
Christ  and  his  truth  shall  stand  unmoved 
for  ever.  Every  age  has  the  same  need  ; 
the  city  of  God  must  be  illumined  with 
an  unfailing  light ;  the  flock  of  Christ  must. 


1 24        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

have  a  sure  guide,  till  the  Son  of  the 
Highest  shall  reappear,  to  open  to  the 
true  of  heart  the  heavenly  temple,  where 
the  just  shall  see  as  they  are  seen,  and 
know  as  they  are  known,  where  God  shall 
manifest  his  very  essence  to   his  elect. 

We  shall  now  refer,  in  conclusion,  to 
the  great  commission  sfiven  to  S.  Peter 
in  S.  John  xxi.  15-17.  Having  already 
commented  on  this  passage  at  some  length, 
we  need,  in  this  place,  only  show  how  plain- 
ly it  proves  our  doctrine.  The  apostle  is 
here  constituted  the  supreme  pastor  of  the 
sheep  of  Jesus  Christ.  Bishops  and  peo- 
ple are  alike  to  be  fed  by  his  hands. 
And  by  what  are  they  to  be  fed,  unless 
with  the  word  of  truth  which  the  Incar- 
nate Lord  revealed  ?  What  other  food  is 
there   for  the  soul   of  man?      The  bishops 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        125 

and  priests  are  indeed  the  shepherds  and 
teachers  of  the  people  whom  they  guide ; 
but  at  the  same  time  are  they  themselves 
sheep  of  the  flock  of  Peter,  and  look  to 
him  for  food  and  direction.  They  depend 
upon  Peter ;  he  cannot  depend  upon  them. 
That  he  should  be  fed  by  the  bishops, 
the  shepherd  by  the  sheep,  would  be  an 
inversion  of  order,  and  a  contradiction  in 
terms.  If  by  any  possibility  the  supreme 
pastor  could  offer  to  the  church  the  bane- 
ful food  of  error,  and  lead  the  flock  astray 
from  the  pastures  of  sound  doctrine,  he 
would  cease  to  be  the  shepherd  of  Christ's 
fold  and  the  leader  of  his  children.  Then 
truth  would  fail  utterly  from  earth,  unless 
the  sheep  of  Peter  should  leave  their 
position,  and  make  themselves  the  shep- 
herds of  their  chief  pastor,  by  a  power 
for  which   the  word  of  God    gives    no  as- 


126        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

surance,  and  which  would  be  in  its  ex- 
ercise destructive  of  the  unity  of  the  fold. 
In  either  supposition,  the  promise  of  Christ 
falls  to  the  ground,  and  the  church  which 
he  established  ceases  to  exist.  For  there 
is  no  flock  of  Christ  which  is  not  fed 
by  Peter,  and  that  is  not  his  flock  in 
which  is  dispensed  the  poison  of  falsehood 
and  heresy.  The  supreme  pastor  of  the 
church  of  God  cannot  be  the  teacher  of 
error.  There  is  no  reply  to  these  con- 
clusions ;  and  so  we  will  add  only  the 
words  of  the  Council,  which  bear  upon 
their  very  face  the  signs  of  inspiration : 
"The  grift  of  truth  and  never- failing  faith 
was  conferred  by  Heaven  upon  Peter  and 
his  successors,  that  they  might  perform 
their  high  office  for  the  salvation  of  all, 
that  the  whole  flock  of  Christ  might  be 
kept    away   by    them    from    the    poisonous 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 2  7 

food  of  error,  and  might  be  nourished  with 
the  pasture  of  heavenly  doctrine ;  that, 
the  occasion  of  schism  being  removed,  the 
whole  church  might  be  kept  one,  and, 
resting  on  its  foundation,  might  stand 
firm  against  the  gates  of  hell." 


IV. 


THE    EVIDENCE    FROM    HISTORY. 

The  testimony  from  this  source  divides 
itself  into  several  natural  divisions,  which, 
for  the  sake  of  clearness,  we  shall  follow. 
We  have,  first,  the  voice  of  the  early  and 
distinguished  Christian  fathers ;  secondly, 
the  acts  and  words  of  the  genera!  coun- 
cils of  the  church ;  and,  thirdly,  great  ec- 
clesiastical facts  in  the  history  of  Chris- 
tianity, which  establish  beyond  controversy 
the  doctrine  we  maintain. 


128        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

i.  The  fathers  and  writers  of  the  early 
times  are  sure  witnesses  of  the  doctrine 
prevalent  in  their  day.  They,  as  saints 
and  doctors  of  the  church,  convey  the  be- 
lief which  they  had  received  in  sacred 
tradition  from  Christ  himself.  Their  una- 
nimous voice  is  sufficient  to  show  that  the 
infallibility  in  faith  of  Peter  and  his  suc- 
cessors is  a  dogma  coeval  and  identical 
with  Christianity ;  for  to  suppose  them  thus 
agreed  in  error,  is  to  suppose  the  corrup- 
tion and,  in  fact,  entire  loss  of  the  truth 
taught  by  our  Lord.  This  latter  supposi- 
tion, as  we  have  seen,  is  fatal  to  the  ve- 
racity of  Christ  himself,  and  cannot  be 
entertained.  We  shall  be  very  brief  in 
our  quotations,  and  shall  not  cite  the 
writers  of  later  ages,  in  which  the  doc- 
trine and  practice  of  the  church  are  ad- 
mitted even  by  our  adversaries.     The  chain 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       129 

of  proof  which  we  shall  give  will,  how- 
ever, form  an  invincible  argument  to  every 
honest  believer  in  a  historical  Christianity. 

In  the  first  place,  as  we  have  shown, 
the  early  Christian  authorities  are  agreed 
in  the  interpretation  which  we  have  given 
to  the  three  great  texts  of  Holy  Scripture 
already  quoted.  This  alone  is  sufficient 
to  indicate  their  doctrine,  since  these  texts 
thus  interpreted  directly  teach  the  infalli- 
bility  of  the   Roman   Pontiff. 

Secondly,  there  is  a  consensus  of  fathers 
who  speak  of  the  necessity  of  union  to 
Peter  as  the  inviolable  rock  of  faith  which 
lends  its  firmness  to  the  whole  structure 
of  which  he  is  the  foundation.  These 
teachings  permeate  the  whole  of  patristic 
theology,  and  stand  in  bold  relief  when- 
ever from  any  quarter,  or  by  any  species 
of  heresy,  the  truth   is  attacked.     Not  one 


130        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

of  the  great  verities  of  Christianity  is  so 
plainly  manifested  in  the  conflicts  of  the 
church  as  this  grand  and  essential  doc- 
trine. 

We     proceed,    however,    with    our    brief 
list    of  quotations. 

S.  Irenseus,  a.d.  178:  "To  this  church 
[of  Rome]  it  is  necessary  that  every 
church,  that  is,  those  who  are  on  every 
side  faithful,  should  resort,  in  which,  al- 
ways by  those  who  are  on  every  side, 
has  been  preserved  that  tradition  which 
is  from  the  apostles.  ...  By  this 
order  and  by  this  succession  [of  the  Ro- 
man Pontiffs]  both  that  tradition  which  is 
from  the  Apostles,  and  the  preaching  of 
the  trttth,  have  come  down  to  us." — Adv. 
Hseres.   1.    iii.   b.    3. 

S.    Cyprian,   a.d.   248 :    "  Moreover,  after 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 3 1 

this,  a  pseudo-bishop  having  been  set  up 
by  themselves,  by  heretics,  they  dare  to  sail, 
and  to  carry  letters  from  schismatics  and 
profane  persons  to  the  chair  of  Peter, 
and  to  the  principal  church  whence  the 
unity  of  the  priesthood  took  its  rise ;  nor 
do  they  consider  that  the  Romans  are 
those  whose  faith  is  praised  in  the  preach- 
ing of  the  apostle,  to  whom  faithlessness 
cannot  have  access." — Ep.  lv.  ad  Cornelium. 

S.  Ephrsem  Syrus,  a.d.  2,7° '•  "We  hail 
thee,  Peter,  the  tongue  of  the  apostles,  the 
voice  of  the  heralds,  the  eye  of  the  apos- 
tles, the  keeper  of  heaven,  the  first-born 
of  those  that  bear  the  keys." — T.  iii.  in 
S.  S.  Apost. 

S.  Damasus,  a.d.  370,  Bishop  of  Rome: 
"Although,    dearest   brethren,    the    decrees 


132        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

of  the  fathers  are  known  to  you,  yet  we 
cannot  wonder  at  your  carefulness  as  re- 
gards the  institutes  of  our  forefathers,  that 
you  cease  not,  as  the  custom  has  ever 
been,  to  refer  all  those  things  which  can 
admit  of  any  doubt  to  us  as  to  the  head, 
that  thence  you  may  derive  answers  whence 
you  received  the  institution  and  rule  of 
living  rightly.  Wherefore  are  we  mindful 
that  you  also  are  not  forgetful  of  the 
canons  which  command  this  to  be  done. 
Not  that  you  are  in  any  way  deficient 
in  the  law  of  the  church,  but  that,  sup- 
ported by  the  authority  of  the  apostolic 
see,  you  may  not  deviate  in  any  way 
from  its  regulations.  ...  It  does  with 
reason  concern  us,  who  ought  to  hold  the 
chief  government  in  the  church,  if  we,  by 
our  silence,  favor  error." — Epis.  v.  Pros- 
pero  Numid. 


T» 


lie  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       133 


S.  Epiphanius,  a.d.  385  :  "  This  was 
befitting  in  that  first  of  the  apostles, 
that  firm  rock  upon  which  the  church  of 
God  is  built.  The  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.  The  gates  of  hell 
are  heretics  and  heresiarchs.  For  in  every 
way  was  the  faith  confirmed  in  him  who 
received  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven. .  .  .He  was  aided  by  the  Father, 
so  as  to  be  the  foundation  of  the  security 
of  the  faith." — T.   ii.   in  Anchor,   n.   9. 

S.  Ambrose,  a.d.  385:  "The  ship  is 
not  agitated  wherein  prudence  sails,  where 
perfidy  is  not,  where  faith  breathes.  For 
how  could  that  be  agitated  over  which 
he  [Peter]  presided,  in  whom  is  the 
foundation  of  the  church  ?  Thou  eh  the 
rest  are  ordered  to  let  down  their  nets, 
yet    to     Peter    alone    it    is    said,    '  Launch 


134        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

out  into  the  deep,'  that  is,  into  the  depths 
of  disputations.  .  .  .  Into  this  deep  of 
disputation  the  church  is  led  by  Peter,  so 
as  to  see  thence  rising  a^ain  the  Son  of 
God,  thence  flowing  the  Holy  Spirit." 

"  Christ  is  the  rock,  '  for  they  drank 
of  the  spiritual  rock  that  followed  them, 
and  the  rock  was  Christ.'  Yet  he  did 
not  refuse  to  bestow  the  favor  of  this  title 
even  upon  his  disciple,  so  that  he,  too, 
might  be  Peter,  in  that  he  has  from  the 
rock  a  solid  constancy  ;  a  firm  faith? — T. 
i.   Expos,   in  Luc. 

S.  Jerome,  a.d.  390:  "As  the  East, 
vexed  with  internal  discord,  with  all  the 
habitual  frenzy  of  that  people,  is  tearing 
into  shreds  the  seamless  garment  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  foxes  lay  waste  Christ's 
vineyard,    so    that   among   the    broken   cis- 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        135 

terns  that  hold  no  water  it  is  difficult  to 
understand  where  is  'the  sealed-up  foun- 
tain '  and  '  that  enclosed  garden  ';  therefore 
have  I  thought  that  I  ouorht  to  consult  the 
chair  of  Peter,  and  the  faith  that  was 
com?ncnded  by  the  apostle,  seeking  now  the 
food  of  my  soul  from  that  place  where, 
in  other  days,  I  received  the  robe  of  Christ." 
.  .  .  "  Following  no  chief  but  Christ, 
I  am  joined  in  communion  with  your  holi- 
ness ;  that  is,  with  the  chair  of  Peter. 
Upon  that  rock  I  know  that  the  church 
is   built." — T.  i.  Ep.  ad  Damas.  Papam. 

S.  John  Chrysostom,  a.d.  387:  "Peter, 
the  leader  of  the  choir  of  the  apostles, 
the  mouth  of  the  disciples,  the  pillar  of 
the  church,  the  biittrcss  of  the  faith,  the 
fisherman  of  the  universe,  he  who  raised 
up    our    race    from     the    depths    of    error 


136       The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

even   to    heaven."     .     .     .     — T.    iii.    Horn 
de  dec.   mill.  Talent. 

"  And  in  those  days  Peter,  rising  up 
in  the  midst  of  the  disciples  (Acts  i.  15), 
said :  Both  as  being  ardent  and  as  hav- 
ing had  entrusted  to  him  by  Christ  the 
flock,  as  the  first  of  the  choir,  he  is  al- 
ways the  first  to  begin  the  discourse. 
Justly,  he  has  the  first  authority  in  the 
matter,  as  having  had  all  entrusted  to  him. 
For  to  him  Christ  said,  and  'thou  being 
converted,  confirm  thy  brethren." — Horn, 
iii.    in   Act.    Ap. 

S.  Asterius,  a.d.  387:  "Peter  went  not 
away  unrequited  and  unrewarded ;  but,  de- 
clared blessed  by  the  truly  Blessed,  he  is 
called  the  rock  of  faith  and  the  foundation 
and  superstructure  of  the  church  of  God. 
He  receives,  too,  by  promise,  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom,  and  becomes  the  lord  of  the 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       137 

gates  thereof,  so  as  to  open  them  to  whom 
he  may  choose,  and  to  close  them  against 
those  against  whom  they  justly  ought  to  be 
shut;  plainly  against  the  defiled  and  profane, 
and  the  destroyers  of  this  confession,  through 
which,  as  a  careful  guardian  of  the  wealth 
of  the  churches,  he  was  appointed  to  pre- 
side over  the  entrances  into  the  kingdom." — 

o 

Horn,   in  Apost.   Princ,   t.  i. 

S.  Innocent  I.,  a.d.  410:  "Especially,  as 
often  as  questions  of  faith  are  agitated,  I 
am  of  opinion  that  all  our  brethren  and 
fellow-bishops  ought  not  to  refer  but  to 
Peter,  that  is,  to  the  author  of  their  name 
and  honor,  even  as  your  friendliness  has 
now  referred  to  ascertain  what  may  be 
for  the  common  weal  of  the  church  through- 
out the  world.  Wherefore  we  do,  by  the 
authority    of    the    apostolic    poiver,   declare 


138        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Felagius  and  Crelestius,  the  inventors  of 
novel  words,  deprived  of  the  communion 
of  the   church." — Ep.  xxx.  ad  Cone.  Meliv. 


S.  Boniface  I.,  Pope,  a.d.  419:  "This 
church  [Roman  Church]  is  to  the  churches 
spread  over  the  whole  world  as  is  the  head 
to  its  own  members,  from  which  church, 
whoso  has  cut  himself  off  becomes  an  alien 
from  the  Christian  religion." — Ep.  xiv.,  Epis. 
Thess. 

Theodoret,  a.d.  424 :  "  For  this  cause 
do  I  suffer  thee  [Peter]  to  stumble  first, 
but  permit  thee  not  to  fall,  providing  sta- 
bility through  thee  for  the  wavering.  Thus 
did  this  great  pillar  support  the  tottering 
world,  and  suffered  it  not  in  any  wise  to 
fall,  but  placed  it  upright  and  made  it  firm, 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       139 

and    received    a    command    to    feed     the 
Lord's  sheep." — T.  iii.  Orat.  de  Carit. 

"  She  [Rome]  is  the  greatest  and  most 
illustrious  of  cities  ;  she  rules  the  world,  and 
overflows  with  a  crowd  of  citizens.  But 
her  faith  specially  adorns  her,  and  the  di- 
vine Paul,  a  witness  worthy  of  faith,  cries 
out  that  her  faith  is  spoken  of  in  the  whole 
world." — Ep.  cxiii. 

S.  Xystus  III.,  Pope,  a.d.  434:  "You 
have  learned  by  the  result  of  this  present 
business  what  it  is  to  agree  in  sentiment 
with  us.  The  blessed  apostle  Peter  in  his 
successors  has  transmitted  what  he  received. 
Who  would  separate  himself  from  his  doc- 
trine, whom  the  Master  himself  declared  to 
be  the  first  among  the  apostles?" — Ep.  vi. 
ad  Joan.  Antioch. 


140       The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

S.  Peter  Chrysologus,  a.d.  440 :  "  We 
exhort  you,  honored  brother,  that  in  all 
things  you  obediently  attend  to  those  things 
which  have  been  written  by  the  most  bless- 
ed Pope  [Leo]  of  the  city  of  Rome,  because 
blessed  Peter,  who  lives  and  resides  in  his 
own  see,  gives  to  those  who  seek,  true 
faith" — Proleg.    Observ.   Ed.   Bacchin. 

Cassian,  a.d.  429  :  "  Let  us  interrogate 
the  greatest,  the  teacher  among  the  teach- 
ers, who,  ruling  the  helm  of  the  Roman 
Church,  as  he  had  the  primacy  of  faith,  so 
also  had  he  the  primacy  of  the  priesthood. 
Tell  us,  then,  tell  us,  we  beseech  thee,  O 
Peter,  prince  of  the  apostles,  how  the 
churches  are  to  believe  in  God ;  for  it  is 
just  that  thou  shouldst  teach  us,  who  wast 
thyself  taught  of  the  Lord  ;  and  that  thou 
shouldst  open  to  us  the  gate,  of  which  thou 
didst  receive   the  key." — De   Incarn.,  1.   iii. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        141 

S.  Leo  I.,  Pope,  a.d.  640 :  "  The  solidity 
of  that  faith  which  was  commended  in  the 
prince  of  the  apostles,  is  perpetual ;  and  as 
what  Peter  believed  in  Christ  is  permanent, 
so  is  what  Christ  institutes  in  Peter  per- 
manent."— T.   i.   Serm.  iii.  de  Natal.  Ordin. 

"The  blessed  Peter  ceases  not  to  pre- 
side over  his  own  see,  and  he  enjoys  a 
never-ceasing  fellowship  with  the  everlast- 
ing priest  [Christ].  For  that  solidity  which 
Peter,  himself  also  made  a  rock,  received 
from  the  rock  Christ,  has  passed  onwards 
to  his  heirs  also ;  and  wheresoever  any 
firmness  is  exhibited,  the  constancy  of  that 
pastor  is  undeniably  apparent." — Serm.  v. 
ibid. 

Sozomen,  a.d.  445  :  "  It  is  a  sacerdotal 
law,  that  the  things  clone  contrary  to  the 
sentiment  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome  be  look- 
ed upon  as  null."     "This   important  ques- 


142        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

tion  beinsr  agitated,  and.  as  was  to  be  ex- 
pected,  daily  increasing  in  importance,  when 
the  Bishop  of  Rome  learned  this,  he  wrote 
to  the  churches  of  the  East  to  worship  a 
consubstantial  and  equally  glorious  Trinity. 
And  after  this  had  been  done,  they  were 
all  silent,  and  this  important  question  seem- 
ed settled,  as  having  been  once  for  all  de- 
cided by  the  judgment  of  the  church  of  the 
Romans." — Hist.   Eccles.  1.   iii.  1.  vi. 

The  Bishops  of  Tarragona  write  to  Pope 
Hilary,  a.d.  440 :  "  Accordingly,  we,  ador- 
ing in  you  the  God  whom  you  serve 
blamelessly,  have  recourse  to  the  faith 
commended  by  the  apostle,  thence  seeking 
for  answers  whence,  nothing  by  error, 
nothing  by  presumption,  but  all  with  pon- 
tifical deliberation,  is  prescribed." 

Felix    III.,    Pope,   a.d.    490:    ''I  am  also 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       143 

cheered  by  the  purport  of  your  letter, 
wherein  you  have  not  omitted  to  state  that 
blessed  Peter  is  the  chief  of  the  apostles, 
and  the  rock  of  faith,  and  that  to  him 
were  entrusted  the  keys  of  the  heavenly 
mysteries.  .  .  .  Let  the  peace  of  the 
churches  be  genuine ;  let  there  be  a  real 
unity,  seeing  that  the  paternal  faith  and 
the  communion  of  blessed  Peter  oup-ht  to 
be  preferred  before  any  individual  whom- 
soever."— Ep.  iv.   Imper.  Zenoni. 

S.  Gelasius  I.,  Pope,  a.d.  492:  "There, 
as  he  [Peter]  shone  conspicuous  for  power 
of  doctrine,  so,  also,  made  glorious  by  the 
shedding  of  his  blood,  does  he  repose  in 
a  place  of  everlasting  rest,  granting  to  the 
see  which  he  himself  blessed,  that  it  be, 
according  to  the  Lord's  promise,  never 
overcome   by   the    gates    of  hell,    and    that 


144        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

it  be  the  safest  harbor  for  all  who  are 
tempest-tossed.  In  that  harbor  whoso- 
ever shall  have  reposed  shall  enjoy  a 
blessed  and  eternal  place  of  safety,  whereas 
he  that  shall  have  despised  it,  it  is  for  him 
to  see  what  kind  of  excuses  he  shall  plead 
at  the  day  of  judgment." 

2.  The  acts  and  words  of  tne  councils 
of  the  church  are  in  full  accordance  with 
this  stream  of  tradition,  and  even  establish 
our  doctrine. 

First,  the  General  Councils  have  been 
convoked  with  the  sanction  or  by  the 
direct  command  of  the  Roman  Pontiff. 
"  The  summons  to  an  CEcumenical  Coun 
cil  must  go  forth  from  the  oecumenical 
head  of  the  church,  the  Pope,  except  in 
the  case  (which  is  hardly  an  exception) 
in    which,    instead   of  the    Pope,    the    tern- 


The  Infallibility  of the  Pope.        145 

poral  protector  of  the  church,  the  Emper- 
or, with  the  previous  or  subsequent  ap- 
proval and  consent  of  the  Pope,  summons 
a  council  of  this  kind."  *  The  convocation 
of  bishops  must  necessarily  come  from  the 
head  of  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  and  not 
from  a  temporal  power,  which  can  only- 
give  its   protection   and  support. 

Secondly,  no  council,  however  large  or 
influential,  is  of  any  authority  unless  it 
has  had  the  direction  and  sanction  of  the 
Pope.  Such  a  council  could  never  be 
general,  for  it  would  be  a  body  without 
a  head,  and  incapable  of  action,  and  would 
in  no  way  represent  the  church,  which  is 
always  with  its  visible  pastor.  The  con- 
firmation of  the  Roman  Pontiff  is  neces- 
sary to  the  validity  and  authority  of  an 
oecumenical   council,    and    this    fact    alone, 

*  Hefele,  Hist.  Councils. 


146        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

established  by  the  history  of  Christianity, 
proves  the  infallibility  of  the  Vicar  of 
Christ.  For  the  power  to  approve  and 
render  certain  in  things  of  faith  requires 
a  special  gift  of  exemption  from  error. 
Of  councils  claiming  to  be  general,  eighteen 
are  approved  as  such  ;  the  Vatican  Coun- 
cil, now  prorogued,  makes  the  nineteenth; 
while  eight  are  annulled  and  considered 
of  no  weight,  and  six  are  partly  approved 
and  partly  annulled  by  the  sole  authority 
of  the  Popes. 

Thirdly,  the  (Ecumenical  Councils,  in 
their  indiction,  their  action  and  confir- 
mation, presuppose  and  often  express  the 
infallibility  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff. 

The  Council  of  Nice  was  presided  over 
by  the  legates  of  the  Pope,  Hosius,  Vi- 
tus, and  Vincentius.  Five  documents,  dat- 
ing  from    the    fifth    century,    mention,    be- 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       147 

sides,  a  solemn  approval  of  the  acts  of 
this  Council  by  Pope  Sylvester.  Doubt 
has  been  thrown  upon  the  authenticity 
of  these  documents,  but  not  upon  the  fact 
of  confirmation,  since  this  has  been  affirm- 
ed by  other  synods.  Pope  Julius  I.  de- 
clared, a  few  years  after  the  Council  of 
Nice,  that  it  was  a  rule  and  law  of  the 
church,  that  ecclesiastical  decrees  could  not 
be  published  without  the  consent  of  the 
Bishop  of  Rome.  Dionysius  the  Less  also 
especially  declares  that  the  decisions  of 
Nice  were  sent  to   Rome  for  approval. 

The  Council  of  Constantinople,  a.d.  381, 
was  guided  by  Pope  Damasus  in  its  con- 
demnation of  the  Macedonian  heresy,  but 
its  canons  were  rejected.  "  It  was,  in  fact, 
on  account  of  the  creed  having  been  ap- 
proved of  by  the  Holy  See  that  afterwards, 
in  the   sixth   century,   Popes  Vigihus,   Pela- 


148        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

gius  II.,  and  Gregory  the  Great  formally 
declared  that  this  Council  was  oecumenical, 
although  Gregory  at  the  same  time  refused 
to  acknowledge  the  canons  it  had  pro- 
mulgated." * 

O 

The  Council  of  Ephesus,  a.d.  431,  was 
sanctioned  by  Pope  Celestine,  whose  le- 
gates presided,  and  directed  the  condem- 
nation of  Nestorius,  whom  the  Pontiff  had 
already  condemned  at  Rome.  Philip,  the 
Papal  legate,  thus  addresses  the  Council : 
"  It  is  a  matter  of  doubt  to  none,  yea, 
rather  it  is  a  thing  known  to  all  ages, 
that  the  holy  and  most  blessed  Peter, 
the  prince  and  head  of  the  apostles,  the 
pillar  of  the  faith,  the  foundation  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  received  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  from  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 
who  [Peter]   even  till  this  present,  and  al- 

*  Hefele,  Hist.  Councils,  Intr. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        149 

ways,  both  lives  and  judges  in  his  success- 
ors. Our  holy  and  most  blessed  Pope 
Celestine,  the  canonical  successor  and  vice- 
gerent of  this  Peter,  has  sent  us  as  re- 
presentatives of  his  person." 

The  Council  of  Chalcedon,  a.d.  451, 
sent  all  its  acts  to  Rome  to  obtain  as- 
sent, approval,  and  confirmation  for  them. 
Such  are  the  words  of  its  letter  to  the 
Pontiff:  "  We  acknowledge  the  whole  force 
of  the  things  which  have  been  done,  and  the 
confirmation  of  all  that  we  have  accom- 
plished, to  be  dependent  upon  your  approval." 
The  same  language  is  used  by  Anatolius, 
Archbishop  of  Constantinople.  Pope  Leo, 
however,  only  confirmed  the  articles  of  this 
Council  which  concerned  the  faith,  and  ex- 
pressly rejected  its  twenty-eighth  canon. 
The  dogmatic  letter  of  S.  Leo  was  read 
at  the  opening  of  the  Council,  and,  assert- 


150        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

ing  the  true  doctrine,  commanded  the  con- 
demnation of  Eutyches.  When  this  letter 
had  been  read,  the  bishops  exclaimed, 
"This  is  the  faith  of  the  fathers,  this  is  the 
faith  of  the  apostles ;  so  we  all  believe ; 
the  orthodox  so  believe ;  anathema  to  those 
who  do  not  so  believe.  Peter  has  spoke?i  by 
Leo."  The  doctrine  of  S.  Leo  in  regard 
to  the  infallibility  of  Peter's  successor  has 
already  been  given  in  these  lectures.  He 
says:  "The  power  and  authority  of  Peter 
are  supreme  in  his  see.  His  faith  is  divinely 
guarded  by  such  a  solidity,  that  neither 
has  heretical  pravity  ever  been  able  to  vi- 
olate, nor  heathen  perfidy  to  overcome, 
it." — Serm.  iii.  3. 

The  Second  Council  of  Constantinople, 
A-D-  553>  depends  in  its  condemnation  of 
the  three  Chapters  upon  Pope  Vigil ius,  who 
had   already    pronounced    his   decree.     The 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 5 1 

sanction  of  Vigilius  was  for  some  time  de- 
layed,  on  account  of  the  interference  of 
the  emperor  with  the  freedom  of  the 
bishops. 

The  Third  Council  of  Constantinople, 
a.d.  680,  sent  a  synodal  letter  to  the  Pope, 
and  asked  his  confirmation.  Its  language 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  Council  of  Chal- 
cedon.  But  the  whole  history  of  this 
Council  shows  very  plainly  the  uncontra- 
dicted sentiment  of  the  church.  The  letter 
of  Pope  Agatho  recites  the  decree  of  faith, 
and  thus  continues :  "  Relying  upon  the 
protection  of  Peter,  this  apostolic  church 
has  never  deviated  from  the  way  of  truth 
in  any  way  of  error  whatsoever ;  and  his 
authority,  as  that  of  the  prince  of  the  apos- 
tles, the  whole  Catholic  Church  of  Christ,  and 
all  the  universal  synods,  always  and  in  all 
things  have  faithfully  embraced  and  followed 


1^2 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 


.  .  .  For  this  is  the  rule  of  the  true  faith, 
which,  both  in  prosperity  and  adversity,  this 
apostolic  church  of  Christ,  the  spiritual  mo- 
ther of  your  peaceful  empire,  holds  and  de- 
fends as  vital ;  which  church,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  will  never  be  convicted  of  departing 
from  the  path  of  apostolic  tradition,  nor  has  it 
ever  been  depraved  by  heretical  novelties  ; 
but  as  it  received  the  begfinninor  of  the  faith 
from  its  founders,  the  chief  of  the  apostles 
of  Christ,  so  it  abides  untainted  to  the 
end,  according  to  the  divine  promise  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  himself,  which  in  the 
Gospels  he  uttered  to  the  prince  of  his 
disciples:  '/  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy 
faith  fail  not!  " 


The  creed  of  Pope  Hormisdas,  which,  at 
his  command,  the  Oriental  bishops  were 
required   to   sign,   deserves   mention  in  this 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 5 


1 


connection.  It  was  signed  by  a  much  great- 
er number  of  bishops  than  any  Council 
called  together,  and  is  of  universal  authority. 
In  it  the  whole  East,  a.d.  517,  professed 
its  faith  in  the  inerrancy  of  the  Apostolic 
See.  We  can  here  give  only  a  portion 
of  this  profession :  "  The  first  act  of  sal- 
vation is  to  keep  rightly  the  rule  of  faith, 
and  in  no  way  to  depart  from  the  decrees 
of  the  fathers.  The  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  cannot  be  passed  over :  '  Thou  art 
Peter ;  and  on  this  rock  will  I  build  my 
church.'  These  words  are  confirmed  by 
their  effects,  for,  in  the  Apostolic  See,  re- 
ligion has  always  been  preserved  without 
spot.  .  .  .  Wherefore,  we  receive  and 
approve  all  the  letters  of  Pope  Leo,  and 
all  that  he  wrote  concerning  the  Christian 
religion.  Therefore,  following  in  all  things 
the    Apostolic    See,    and    professing   all    its 


154        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

decrees,  I  hope  to  be  worthy  to  be  in  that 
one  communion  with  you  which  the  Apos- 
tolic See  commands,  in  which  is  the  per- 
fect and  true  solidity  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, promising  that  the  names  of  those 
who  are  separated  from  the  communion 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  that  is,  those  who 
are  not  united  in  mind  to  the  Apostolic 
See,  shall  not  be  recited  in  the  Holy  Mys- 
teries. This  my  profession  I  have  sub- 
scribed with  my  own  hand,  and  presented 
to  thee,  Hormisdas,  holy  and  venerated  Pope 
of  the  city  of  Rome."  *  This  creed  was 
afterwards  approved  in  the  Eighth  (Ecu- 
menical Synod. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  follow  the  Coun- 
cils any  farther,  since  from  this  time  there 
is    scarcely  a  dispute    in   regard  to   Catho- 

*  Labbe,  Condi,  torn.  v. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       155 

lie  tradition.     We  will  only  add  the  words 
of  three  later   (Ecumenical   Synods. 

The  Council  of  Lyons,  a.d.  1274:  "The 
holy  Roman  Church  has  the  supreme  prin- 
cipality over  the  whole  church  of  Christ, 
which  it  received,  with  the  plenitude  of 
power,  from  the  Lord  himself  in  blessed 
Peter,  whose  successor  is  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiff, so  that,  if  any  questions  shall  have 
arisen  concerning  faith,  they  must  by  his 
judgment  be  defined." 

The  Council  of  Vienne,  a.d.  131  i:  "To 
solve  doubts  in  matters  of  faith  belongs 
only   to  the  Apostolic   See." 

The  Council  of  Florence,  a.d.  1439: 
"We  define  that  the  Roman  Pontiff  has 
the  primacy  in  the  whole  world,  and  is 
the  •  successor  of  Peter,  and  the  head  of 
the     whole    church,     and     the     father    and 


156        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

teacher  of  all  Christians,  and  that  to  him, 
in  blessed  Peter,  was  given  by  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  the  plenary  power  of  govern- 
ing the  church,  as  is  contained  in  the  acts 
of  the  (Ecumenical  Councils  and  the  Sacred 
Canons." 

The  Synod  of  Rome,  863,  under  Nicho- 
las I.,  made  the  following  decree,  which 
was  adopted  in  the  Eighth  General  Coun- 
cil :  "  If  any  one  shall  despise  the  dog- 
mas, commands,  interdicts,  sanctions,  or 
decrees,  in  respect  to  Catholic  faith,  ec- 
clesiastical discipline,  the  correction  of  the 
faithful,  or  amendment  of  sinners,  justly 
promulgated  by  the  Apostolic  See,  let  him 
be   anathema."  * 


1 

J' 


We    proceed    now    to    mention    a  few 
great  ecclesiastical   facts   which    presuppose 

*  Denzinger,  Enchiridion,  p.  III. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 5  7 

and    establish    the   infallibility  of  the  Sove- 
reign   Pontiff. 

These  are,  first,  facts  in  the  history  of 
the  church,  and,  secondly,  in  the  history 
of  the   Popes. 

First.  We  have  already  seen  that  the 
General  Councils  are  such  by  virtue  of  his 
confirmation.  No  assembly  of  bishops, 
however  large,  is  of  any  authority  in 
thingfs   of  faith   without  his   sanction. 

Again,  Particular  Councils,  which  have 
received  the  approval  of  the  Apostolic  See, 
have  become  of  universal  authority  by  vir- 
tue of  that  approval  alone,  and  have  passed 
into  the  code  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
There  is  no  need  of  citino-  instances  to 
prove  a  well-known  fact.  We  may  only 
mention  the  Councils  of  Hippo  and  Car- 
thage concerning  the  canon  of  Sacred  Scrip- 
ture, and  of  Milevis  against  the  Pelagians. 


158        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Again,  heresies,  as  they  have  arisen, 
have  been  condemned  by  the  Apostolic 
See  alone,  and  the  judgment  of  this  see 
has  at  once  become  a  law  to  the  whole 
church.  We  have  shown  how  the  Roman 
Pontiff  has  directed  the  action  of  (Ecume- 
nical Synods,  and  often  given  them  full  in- 
structions in  regard  to  the  errors  to  be 
condemned.  Often  they  have  done  no- 
thing but  accept  and  propound  the  sen- 
tence previously   delivered  by  him. 

But  by  his  supreme  authority,  he  has 
detected  error  and  pronounced  against 
heresy,  which  has  been  touched  by  no 
General  Council.  Thus  S.  Gelasius 
alone  settled  the  canon  of  Sacred  Scrip- 
ture. 

Thus  Innocent  I.  condemned  Pelagian- 
ism,  and  pronounced  the  true  doctrine 
concerning   original    sin.       The    fathers   of 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        159 

Trent  only  reaffirmed  his  infallible  de- 
clarations, which  had  been  the  rule  of  faith 
for   the  whole   Catholic   communion. 

Thus  Leo  X.  condemned  the  errors  of 
Martin    Luther  and   the  reformers. 

Thus  since  the  Council  of  Trent  the 
false  propositions  of  the  Jansenist  heresy 
have  been  successively  judged  and  anathe- 
matized by   the  Pontiff. 

Thus  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  of  the  ever  Blessed  Virgin  has 
been  solemnly  defined  by  the  sole  decree 
of  our   Holy   Father,    Pius   IX. 

Thus  modern  errors  and  the  rationalism 
of  the  day  have  been  condemned  by  the 
same  glorious  Pontiff. 

Controversies  have  known  but  one  arbi- 
ter in  the  ages  of  Christianity,  and  his 
voice  once  spoken  has  settled  all,  and, 
with  universal  consent,   closed  the  question. 


1 60       The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Could  this  ever  have  been  if  the  church 
had  not  recognized  the  office  and  duty 
of  S.  Peter  to  confirm  her  in  faith,  to  be 
really  and  truly,  and  not  in  name  only, 
the  Vicar  of  Jesus   Christ  ? 

We  are  prepared  now  for  a  quotation 
from  Dr.  Dollinger,  which  we  will  give 
without   note   or   comment : 

"  The  Pope  is  supreme  teacher  and 
guardian  of  the  faith.  That  the  decrees 
of  synods  regarding  faith,  obtained  their 
full  power  and  authority  only  by  being 
received  and  confirmed  by  the  Pope,  was 
publicly  acknowledged  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury. Thus  the  Synod  held  at  Rome,  372, 
under  the  Pope  S.  Damasus,  declared  that 
the  Council  of  Rimini,  notwithstanding  the 
great  number  of  bishops  who  were  there 
assembled,  was  invalid  and  null,  because 
neither  the   Bishop  of  Rome,    whose  deci- 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       161 

sion  should  be  awaited  before  all  others, 
nor  Vincent  of  Capua,  and  others,  had 
decreed  with  them.  The  same  Pope 
was  the  first  who  condemned  the  heresy 
of  Apollinaris,  although  it  arose  in  the 
East ;  and  by  his  decision,  as  Sozomen  re- 
lates, the  controversy  of  the  Orientals  on 
the  divinity  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  ended. 
The  Fifth  General  Council,  which  was  a 
Council  of  only  Oriental  bishops,  acquired 
the  authority  of  an  CEcumenical  Synod 
by  the  subsequent  acceptance  and  confir- 
mation of  the  Pope ;  and  S.  Augustine 
declared,  after  the  two  African  Svnods  had 
been  confirmed  by  the  Pontiff,  that  the 
cause  of  the  Pelagians  was  terminated. 
'  Roma  locuta  est,  causa  finita  est ' — '  Rome 
hath  spoken,  the   case   is   finished." 

Hence    could   Boniface,    the   successor  of 
Zosimus,    write    to    the     Oriental     bishops 


1 62        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

that  a  judgment  of  the  Apostolic  See  was 
inviolable,  and  that  he  who  should  presume 
to   act  against  it   cut  himself  off  from   the 
church.     The    proud   pre-eminence   of  this 
See,  that  it  had  never  been  stained  by  errory 
was   extolled  by  Theodoret.     Peter,   Bishop 
of  Ravenna,  exhorted    Eutyches   to   submit 
himself  before    all  others  to  the   Pope  and 
to    the    judgment   which    he    should    pro- 
nounce ;     and    Avitus,    Bishop    of    Vienne, 
about    503,    names   the    Pope   the    pilot  of 
the   vessel    of    the    church    when    assailed 
by  the  storms  of  heresy.     The  holy  Max- 
imus,    in    the   controversy  with   the    Mono- 
thelite    Pyrrhus,    declared    to   him    that,    if 
he    would    free    himself    from    heresy,    he 
must    make    his    peace    with    the    See   of 
Rome,   for   that  then  all  would  believe  him 
to    be    orthodox.       About   the    same   time, 
Sergius,  Bishop  of  Cyprus,  declared  that  the 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 6  *» 


o 


See  of  Rome  was,  by  virtue  of  the  pro- 
mises of  Christ,  the  immovable  foundation 
of  faith. 

In  his  book  against  Rufinus, 
S.  Jerome  asks  him,  "  Is  your  faith  the 
faith  of  the  Church  of  Rome?  If  so,"  he 
adds,    "we   both   are   Catholics." 

When,  during  the  Pontificate  of  Hor- 
misdas,  the  schism  which  had  been  begun 
by  the  Patriarch  Acacius  was  at  length 
terminated,  after  a  duration  of  thirty-five 
years,  about  2,500  Oriental  bishops  sign- 
ed a  formulary  which  had  been  sent  to 
them  by  the  Pope,  on  which  occasion  they 
confessed  that  he  who  was  not  in  all 
things  united  with  the  Apostolic  See,  was 
cut  off  from  the  Catholic  Church. 

It  was  customary  (in  case  of 
General  Councils)  that  a  decree  of  the 
Apostolic    See    should    precede    their    dog- 


t  64        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

matical  decisions,  and  this  decree  was  the 
authority  and  guide  of  the  Council.  The 
Council  of  Ephesus,  therefore,  in  forming 
its  judgment  against  Nestorius,  said  that 
it  did  so  "  following  the  canons  and  the 
epistle  of  the   Pope." 

If  particular  councils  formed  decrees 
on  subjects  of  faith,  it  was  by  the  approba- 
tion of  the  supreme  Pontiff  that  they 
acquired  authority.* 

Secondly,  it  is  a  fact  in  the  history  of 
the  Roman  Pontiffs,  that  all  have  claimed 
and  exercised  supreme  judgment  in  contro- 
versies, and  that  not  one  has  erred  in  faith, 
when  teaching  the  church  by  authority. 
This  fact  alone  is  a  miracle,  and  could  not 
be,  without  the  continual  and  watchful  aid 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  ever-powerful 
prayer  of  Christ  for  his  Vicar.     Thus  Bos- 

*  Dollinger's  History  of  the  Church,  ii.  pp.  220-224. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        165 

suet  says :  "  It  is  this  Roman  Church  which, 
taught  by  S.  Peter,  knows  no  heresy.  He- 
resies have  been  able  to  pass  there,  but 
they  could  not  there  take  root.  So  is  the 
Roman  Church  always  a  virgin:  the  Roman 
faith  is  always  the  faith  of  the  church. 
What  it  believes  is  ever  received ;  the  same 
voice  resounds  everywhere  ;  and  Peter  re- 
mains, in  his  successors,  the  foundation 
of  the  faithful.  It  is  Jesus  Christ  who  has 
said  it,  and  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
away  sooner  than  his  word."  * 

To  establish  our  assertion,  we  will  take 
the  full  strength  of  our  adversaries.  If 
there  had  been  Popes  who  have  disagreed 
with  each  other  and  the  received  faith  of 
the  church,  they  would  have  shown  it  long 
ago.  Their  failure  to  show  it,  is  abundant 
evidence  of  all  that  we  assert,  since  history 

*  Bossuct,  torn.  xv.  p.  501. 


1 66        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

has    been    carefully   searched  with  this  end 
alone  in  view.     Cases  of  individual  weak- 
ness or  of  personal  inconstancy  are  rare  in- 
deed,   but,    true    or   false,   have    nothing  to 
do  with   the   argument.      They  must  prove 
that,   of  the  long  line  of  Pontiffs,   even  one 
has  taught  error  ex  cathedra,  and  so  official- 
ly propounded  false  doctrine  to  the  church. 
Of  all  the  accusations  made,  only  two  touch 
the  question  even  remotely.     We  pass  over 
the    charge    against   S.    Marcellinus,   which, 
as  it  was   purely  a  personal  matter,   is  ad- 
mitted to  be  false  by  all  the  best  historians. 
If    he   had    offered    incense  to   idols   under 
stress  of  persecution,   it  would  have  been  a 
fall  of  human  weakness;  but  the  whole  ac- 
cusation   is   a   falsehood    of    the    Donatists, 
circulated    for    their    own    ends,    and    now 
shown  in  its  true  colors  \.v  authentic  docu- 
ments.    The  holy  Pontiff  who  d«ed  for  the 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       167 

faith,  and  is  honored  as  a  martyr  at  the 
altars  of  the  church,  is  far  above  attacks 
like  these. 

The  acts  of  the  Fifth  General  Council 
sufficiently  shield  Pope  Vigillius  from  any 
of  the  charges  made  against  him,  as  the 
whole  history  shows  him  to  have  acted 
with  great  prudence  and  zeal,  even  when 
faith  was  not  directly  in  the  controversy. 

There  are  only  two  of  the  successors  of 
S.  Peter  against  whom  our  opponents 
bring  even  the  shadow  of  a  fair  accusation, 
and  in  neither  case  did  the  Pontiff  act  ex 
cathedra,  or  define  a  doctrine,  or  pronounce 
a  judgment.  We  might,  then,  dismiss  the 
whole  matter  as  impertinent  to  the  subject, 
but,  for  the  sake  of  truth,  we  will  briefly 
show  that,  in  the  first  case,  the  charge  is 
false,  and  that,  in  the  second,  the  fault  of 
the  Pope  was  negative  rather  than  positive, 


1 68        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

and    implied    only   human    infirmity,    aside 
from  his  official  character. 

i.  The  charge  is  made  against  Liberius, 
Bishop  of  Rome  from  a.d.  352-366,  that, 
in  the  persecutions  of  the  Arians,  he  was 
induced  by  fear  to  sign  an  heretical  con- 
fession of  faith.  The  answer  to  this  is  two- 
fold: first,  the  document  which  he  is  said  to 
have  signed,  though  omitting  the  Catholic 
term  consubstantial,  is  not  in  words  heretical, 
and  is  capable  of  being  defended,  as  it  has 
been  by  S.  Hilary.  But,  secondly,  it  is 
not  true  that  he  signed  any  such  confes- 
sion, as  facts  and  documents  show.  The 
charges  against  him  are  contradictory,  and 
are  proved  false  by  contemporary  evidence. 
His  whole  life  was  distinguished  by  zeal 
in  defence  of  the  orthodox  doctrine  against 
the  Arians,  and  the  honor  paid  him  on  his 
return   to   Rome   from    exile   is  a   sufficient 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 69 

proof  that  he  had  never  wavered.  The 
attempt  to  make  S.  Athanasius  his  accuser 
in  his  apology  against  the  Arians,  for  the 
moment  may  produce  its  impression,  but 
the  passage  which  thus  speaks  of  Liberius 
is  evidently  an  interpolation  in  a  subsequent 
edition,  and  by  a  strange  and  unskilful  hand. 
For  the  History  of  the  Avians  was  writ- 
ten at  a  period  prior  to  that  of  the  sup- 
posed fall  of  the  Pope,  and  it  is  evident, 
from  the  whole  context,  that  S.  Athanasius 
knew  of  no  such  act.  Arian  authorities,  for 
their  own  ends,  have  forged  and  circulated 
this  unfounded  accusation.  Such  is  the 
judgment  of  all  the  best  historians,  at 
this  time,  to  whose  more  extended  defence 
of  this  great  Pontiff  we  refer."*  S.  Basil, 
S.   Epiphanius,    and   S.   Ambrose    speak  of 

*  Sec    Rolirbacher,    Hist.  ;    Diss,    of   the    Abbe    Corgne 
Darras,  Ecc.  Hist.,  i.  pp.  456-462. 


1 70        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Liberius  as  a  Pontiff  of  holy,  blessed,  and 
venerable  memory ;  and  the  ancient  Latin, 
Greek,  and  Coptic  Martyrologies  honored 
him  as  a  saint. 

The  Greek  Menology  reads  as  follows  : 
"  The  blessed  Liberius,  defender  of  the 
faith,  was  Bishop  of  Rome  under  the  em- 
pire of  Constantius.  Burning  with  zeal  for 
the  orthodox  faith,  he  protected  the  great 
Athanasius,  persecuted  by  the  heretics  for 
his  bold  defence  of  the  truth,  and  driven 
from  Alexandria.  While  Constantine  and 
Constans  lived,  the  Catholic  faith  was 
supported,  but  when  Constantius  was  left 
sole  master,  as  he  was  an  Arian,  the  here- 
tics prevailed.  Liberius,  for  his  vigor  in 
censuring  their  impiety,  was  banished  to 
Berea,  in  Thrace.  But  the  Romans,  who 
always  remained  true  to  him,  went  to  the 
emperor  and  besought  his  recall.     He  was, 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 7 1 

therefore,  on  this  account,  sent  back  to 
Rome,  and  there  ended  his  life,  after  a  holy 
administration  of  his  pastoral  charge." 

2.  We  shall  not  delay  long  upon  the 
case  of  Honorius,  Bishop  of  Rome,  a.d. 
626-638.  The  whole  matter  has  of  late 
been  so  thoroughly  discussed,  and  so  ably 
treated  by  Catholic  writers,  that  it  will 
suffice  to  state  briefly  the  real  truth,  which 
speaks   for  itself. 

The  charge  of  our  adversaries  is  that 
Honorius,  when  appealed  to,  interfered  in 
favor  of  the  Monothelite  heresy,  and  that 
for  this  he  was  condemned  by  a  subsequent 
General  Council. 

The  facts  in  the  case  are  these :  Hono- 
rius was  deceived  by  Sergius,  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  in  regard  to  the  question 
at  issue,  and  was  induced  to  write  a  letter 
urging    the    end    of    the    discussion    which 


172        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Sophronius,  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  vehe- 
mently maintained  in  defence  of  two  wills 
in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  We  have  re- 
ceived your  letter  acquainting  us  with  the 
discussions  lately  raised  in  the  East.  We 
commend  your  zeal  in  rejecting  all  novel- 
ties of  expression,  according  to  the  advice 
of  the  apostle.  Let  us  leave  grammarians 
to  discuss  idle  questions,  and  disdain  a 
war  of  words  which  would  bring  trouble 
upon   the  church. 

That  he  misunderstood  the  heresy  of 
Sergfius  is  evident  from  his  own  letter,  as 
well  as  from  that  of  Pope  John  IV.,  a.d. 
640 :  "  When  Honorius  spoke  of  a  single 
will  in  Jesus  Christ,  he  meant  that,  in  the 
person  of  the  Incarnate  Word,  the  humanity 
had  not  the  two  contrary  wills  of  the  flesh 
and  the  spirit,  as  we  have  them  since  the 
fall.     But  he  did  not  mean  that  the  divinity 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        I  J^ 

had  not  in  Jesus  Christ  its  own  proper 
will,"  His  letter,  however,  with  all  the 
misconception  of  the  question,  was  not 
an  active  interference  in  favor  of  Sereius's 
doctrine.  His  fault  was  neglect  to  exa- 
mine more  thoroughly  the  matters  at  issue, 
and  to  use  at  once  his  apostolic  autho- 
rity in  favor  of  the  truth  thus  craftily  as- 
sailed. 

At  the  same  time  he  refused  to  eive  to 
his  letters  an  encyclical  character,  and,  in 
express  terms,  refused  to  define  anything, 
while  he  in  his  own  Ian  quaere  teaches  the 
true  Catholic  doctrine.  From  these  facts, 
we  conclude,  first,  that  it  is  certain  he 
did  not  act  ex  cathedra,  or  define  any 
doctrine;  and,  secondly,  that  he  was  not 
heretical  himself,  as  he  holds  and  defends 
in  words  the  true  faith  in  regard  to  the. 
two  wills  in   our  Lord. 


1 74        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Now,  a  few  words  will  suffice,  as  to 
the  condemnation  of  the  Sixth  General 
Council.  The  question  of  the  heresy  ol 
Honorius  was  never  before  this  Council, 
and  until  late  days,  he  has  never  been 
charged  with  it.  There  is  not  one  single 
document  existing  which  shows  that  he 
favored  the  Monoth elite  doctrine,  for  he 
teaches  the  direct  contrary.  He  was  cen- 
sured only  for  negligence,  and  because  his 
omission  to  use  his  Apostolic  authority 
had  redounded  to  the  benefit  of  heresy. 
What  advantage  the  opponents  of  Papal 
Infallibility  can  draw  from  this,  we  are 
at  a  loss  to  know.  If  he  neglected  to 
use  authority,  then  by  the  consent  of  the 
church  he  possessed  such  authority,  as  one 
of  the  attributes  of  his  see.  But  let  us 
look  a  moment  at  the  history  of  the 
Sixth    General    Council,    for    we    have    no 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 75 

stronger   testimony    for    the    infallibility    of 
the   Roman   Pontiff,    in   all   antiquity. 

This  Council  was  convoked  by  Pope  S. 
Agatho,  who  reigned  from  a.d.  679  to 
682.  His  letter  to  the  emperor,  which 
defined  the  true  doctrine  and  gave  instruc- 
tions to  the  bishops,  is  as  follows:  "The 
Catholic  world  looks  up  to  this  [Roman] 
church  as  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all 
the  others.  By  the  grace  of  Almighty 
God,  it  will  never  be  convicted  of  having 
wandered  from  the  path  of  apostolic  tra- 
dition, or  of  yielding  to  the  waywardness 
of  heretical  teachings.  The  faith  which  she 
received  from  her  founders,  the  princes  of 
the  apostles,  she  has  kept  unstained,  ac- 
cording to  the  promise  of  our  Lord  to 
S.  Peter,  «  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy 
faith  fail  not.'  In  virtue  of  this  divine 
promise,    the   Apostolic   Pontiffs,   whose  un- 


176        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

worthy  successor  we  are,  have  always  up- 
held the  cause  of  the  true  faith.  So  that, 
when  the  bishops  of  Constantinople  strove 
to  bring  heretical  novelty  into  the  spot- 
less church  of  Christ,  my  predecessors  of 
apostolic  memory  never  ceased  to  exhort, 
to  warn,  and  to  entreat  them  to  forsake 
their  false  belief,  or  at  least  to  hush 
questions   so   dangerous." 

How  could  S.  Agatho  have  said  this, 
if  his  predecessor,  Honorius,  a  few  years 
before  had  been  in  any  way  tainted  with 
heresy  ?  These  authoritative  words  are 
alone  his  sufficient  exculpation. 

But  how  did  the  Council  receive  this 
letter  of  the  Pope?  No  sooner  had  the 
assembled  fathers  heard  the  clear  and  strong 
definition  of  the  Catholic  belief  in  the  two 
wills  of  Jesus  Christ  than  they  cried  out 
with    one   voice :    "  Peter   hath    spoken    by 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        177 

the  mouth  of  Agatho.  We  believe  with 
him  that  there  are  two  wills  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Anathema  to  whoever  holds  the  contrary- 
opinion." 

When  the  Council  had  ceased  its  labors, 
the  definition  of  faith  was  read  :  "  By  the 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  agree- 
ment with  the  dogmatic  letter  of  our 
Holy  Father  and  Sovereign  Pontiff  Agatho, 
we  acknowledge  in  Jesus  Christ  two  natures, 
with  two  respective  wills  and  acts.  Ancient 
Rome  holds  out  a  profession  of  faith  com- 
ing- from  God  himself.  A  letter  from  the 
West  has  brought  back  the  light  of  truth. 
Peter  has  spoken  by  the  voice  of  Agatho." 
The  acts  of  this  Council  were  confirmed 
by  Pope  S.  Leo  II.,  who  reigned  one  year 
only,  a.d.  682.  We  give  an  extract  from 
the  letter  of  the  Emperor  Constantine  to 
the  Pope,   and  from  S.   Leo's  reply. 


1 78        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

"The  letter  of  Pope  Agatho,"  writes  the 
emperor,  "  was  unanimously  agreed  to  ac- 
cord with  the  Scriptures,  the  councils,  and 
the  teachings  of  the  holy  fathers.  We 
saw  with  the  soul's  vision  the  Prince  of  the 
Apostles  himself,  in  the  person  of  his  suc- 
cessor, opening  out  the  mystery  of  the 
Incarnation,  and  saying  to  our  Lord,  '  Thou 
art  Christ,   the  Son  of  the  living  God.' " 

The  letter  of  the  Pope,  dated  May  16, 
683,  thus  speaks  of  the  acts  of  the  Coun- 
cil :  "  On  examination,  we  find  them  to 
agree  with  what  the  legates  had  reported. 
We  have  ascertained  that  the  Council  ex- 
actly followed  the  instructions  of  the  Apos- 
tolic See,  and  that  it  agrees  with  the  de- 
finitions of  the  five  former  CEcumenical 
Councils.  For  this  reason  we  have  con- 
sented to  the  publication  of  the  decrees  ; 
we  ratify  them  by  the  authority  of  S.  Peter, 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 79 

and  wish  them  to  have  the  binding  power 
of  laws."  * 

v. 

During  the  progress  of  the  discussion 
elicited  by  the  assembling  of  the  Vatican 
Council,  much  was  said  which  it  would  be 
a  waste  of  time  to  notice  in  a  serious  work. 
As  the  Catholic  Church  exhibited  anew 
her  strength  and  her  immortal  youth,  ma- 
terialism and  rationalism  raised  their  heads, 
and  the  embers  of  Protestant  prejudice 
were  fanned  into  a  flame.  It  is  better  not 
to  fight  with  one  who  strikes  wildly  with- 
out a  system  or  an  end.  Such  a  one  will 
ere  long  destroy  himself.  Nor  is  it  worth 
while  to  respond  to  attacks  which  take  in 
the  whole   of   Christianity,    and    really    aim 

*  See  Darras,  vol.  ii.  chap.  viii. 


1 80        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

at  the  confusion  of  all  revealed  faith.  The 
church  is  quite  safe  from  such  adversaries, 
and  has  only  patiently  to  wait  to  see  them 
sink  away  from  the  notice  of  mankind.  The 
infallibility  of  the  Pope  presupposes  the  di- 
vinity of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  truth  of  his 
mission  of  salvation.  And,  let  it  be  said, 
it  stands  because  of  the  divinity  of  the 
founder  of  Christianity  and  the  omnipo- 
tence of  his  word. 

Yet  there  are  honest  minds  who  have  been 
led  to  think  that  the  decree  of  the  Coun- 
cil has  ascribed  to  man  powers  he  cannot 
have ;  that  the  possession  of  these  prero- 
gatives interferes  with  civil  society,  and 
arrests  the  progress  of  mankind  in  cultiva- 
tion and  knowledge.  To  these  objections 
we  shall  briefly  make  reply  before  we  close 
this  lecture. 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        1 8 1 

i.  Our  definition  of  the  Catholic  doctrine, 
in  the  precise  words  of  the  Council,  has 
already  answered  the  first  objection.  We 
claim  for  the  Supreme  Pontiff,  when  acting 
officially  as  the  head  of  the  church,  that 
divine  guidance  which  shields  him  from 
error.  In  this  there  is  no  inconsistency 
with  his  nature,  or  his  probation  as  an  indi- 
vidual, as  we  have  already  fully  shown  ; 
and  there  is  no  power  but  such  as  God 
has  already  given  in  former  dispensations. 
Prophets  "have  spoken  as  they  were  moved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost;"  and  God  could  not 
speak   through  man   as   a  medium,   without 

makingr  that   medium   unerring.      God   Can- 
es o 

not  teach  unless  he  teach  infallibly,  and  sure- 
ly can  never  be  a  party  to  deception.  Here 
any  objection  to  the  infallibility  of  the  chief 
pastor  of  the  flock  of  Christ  would  be 
against    the    divinity    and    wisdom    of   the 


1 82        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Redeemer  himself.  The  whole  Christian 
scheme,  coming  from  a  God-Man,  must 
be  supernatural  and  divine.  The  only  ques- 
tion, then,  is  one  of  fact.  Did  Jesus  Christ 
institute  a  church  as  "  the  pillar  and  ground 
of  the  truth,"  and  promise  unfailing  guid- 
ance to  its  head  in  the  discharge  of  his 
office  ?  Does  Christianity,  as  the  world 
knows  it,  depend  for  nineteen  centuries  on 
the  fulfilment  of  this  promise,  and  the  teach- 
ine  of  S.  Peter's  successors  ?  No  more 
objection,  a  priori,  can  be  made  to  this 
plan  of  the  new  law,  than  to  the  inspiration 
of  prophets,  or  the  guidance  of  the  high- 
priest  under  a  less  perfect  dispensation. 

2.  The  notion  that  the  infallibility  of  the 
Roman  Pontiff  implies  interference  with 
civil  power,  or  the  order  of  government  in 
civil  society,  is  entirely  unfounded.  No 
change  has  been  made  by  the  Vatican  Coun- 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        183 


cil  in  the  actual  relation  of  the  world  to 
the  church,  or  in  the  powers  of  the  supreme 
Pastor.  The  Pope  always  possessed  the 
gift  which  is  now  so  carefully  defined  by 
the  inspired  language  of  an  (Ecumenical 
Synod.  He  was  always,  as  we  have  fully 
proved,  "  the  father  and  teacher  of  all  Chris- 
tians." The  church  and  her  head  are  con- 
cerned with  the  truths  of  God,  the  questions 
of  faith  and  morals.  These  eternal  prin- 
ciples she  teaches  to  the  nations,  and,  as 
government  can  only  stand  on  right  and 
justice,  she,  through  the  unerring  direction 
of  her  Pontiff,  upholds  civil  society  and  the 
safety  and  happiness  of  mankind.  So  far, 
and  no  further,  does  she  meddle  with  po- 
litical questions,  where,  indeed,  very  often 
the  voice  of  truth  and  wisdom  is  unheard. 
Here  we  will  produce  an  extract  from  a  let- 
ter of  his  Eminence  Cardinal  Antonelli,   not 


1 84        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

only  on  account  of  its  high  authority,  but  also 
on  account  of  the  exact  expressions  it  gives 
on  this  subject :  "  It  follows  that,  if  the 
church  was  instituted  by  its  divine  founder, 
as  a  true  and  perfect  society,  distinct  from 
the  civil  power,  and  independent  of  it,  with 
full  authority  in  the  triple  order,  legislative, 
judicial,  and  coercive,  no  confusion  springs 
therefrom  in  the  march  of  human  society, 
and  in  the  exercise  of  the  rights  of  the 
two  powers.  The  competence  of  the  one 
and  the  other  is  clearly  distinct  and  deter- 
mined, according  to  the  end  to  which 
they  are  respectively  directed.  The  church 
does  not,  in  virtue  of  her  authority,  inter- 
vene directly  and  absolutely  in  the  consti- 
tutive principles  of  government,  in  the 
forms  of  civil  regulations,  in  the  political 
rights  of  citizens,  and  in  the  duties  of  the 
state.      But,    whereas    no    civil    society    can 


TJie  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       185 

subsist  without  a  supreme  principle  regu- 
lating- the  morality  of  its  acts  and  laws, 
the  church  has  received  from  God  this 
lofty  mission,  which  tends  to  the  happiness 
of  the  people,  while  she  in  no  way  embar- 
rasses, by  the  exercise  of  her  ministry,  the 
free  and  prompt  action  of  governments. 
She,  in  fact,  by  inculcating  the  principle 
of  rendering  to  God  that  which  is  God's, 
and  to  Caesar  that  which  is  Caesar's,  im- 
poses, at  the  same  time,  upon  her  children 
the  obligation  of  obeying  the  authority  of 
princes  for  conscience'  sake.  But  these 
should  also  recognize,  that,  if  anywhere  a 
law  is  made,  opposed  to  the  principle  of 
eternal  justice,  to  obey  would  not  be  a 
giving  to  Caesar  that  which  is  Ccesar's,  but 
a  taking  from  God  that  which  is  God's."* 
It   has    been    an   amazing   thinof  to  eood 

*  Letter  of  Cardinal  Antonelli  to  the  Nuncio  at  Paiis. 


1 86        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

Catholics  that  any  statesmen  have  allowed 
themselves  to  be  disturbed  by  an  objection 
so  foolish  and  unfounded.  The  promoters  fc 
of  the  objection,  at  its  conception,  scarcely 
deserve  the  credit  of  honesty,  and  proba- 
bly only  sought,  by  means  known  to  the 
world,  to  throw  political  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  our  doctrine.  If  the  church  had 
not  always  acted  on  the  belief  in  the  in- 
fallibility of  her  chief  Pastor,  they  would 
have  had  more  semblance  of  sincerity  in 
their  accusations.  It  is  not  hard  to  touch 
the  self-love  of  princes  and  cabinets,  and 
the  more  ignorant  they  are,  the  more  jea- 
lous they  will  be  of  their  prerogatives.  And 
it  is  certain  that  the  nation  which  lives 
according  to  God's  law,  and  is  governed 
according  to  the  immutable  principles  of 
justice,  will  best  promote  its  high  interests. 
Of  that  law   and  those  principles   the   Ca- 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       1 8  7 

tholic  Church  is  the  divinely  appointed 
teacher  and  guardian.  So  we  can  ask  no- 
thing more  precious  for  our  beloved  country, 
than  that  the  steps  of  her  people  and  her 
rulers  be  guided  by  truth,  in  that  full  free- 
dom which  is  not  license,  but  obedience 
to  God  in  all  things. 

3.  And  lastly,  what  bar  to  true  progress 
or  to  advance  in  human  knowledge,  can 
be  found  in  the  unerring  teachings  of  the 
Roman  Pontiff?  If  he  be  a  teacher  from 
God,  then  every  light  from  above  comes 
to  illuminate  the  way  by  which  man  reaches 
his  high  destiny.  The  sovereign  Truth 
cannot  blind  the  eye  or  circumscribe  the 
intellectual  vision.  Every  ray  descending 
from  the  great  centre  of  all  knowledge, 
lifts  the  creature  one  step  higher  in  true 
progress.  Christianity  professes  to  be 
above     nature,    to    deal    with    realities    the 


1 88        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

unaided  intellect  could  never  measure,  and 
to  open  upon  reason  a  world  far  beyond 
its  reach,  where  God  comes  to  meet  and 
ennoble  the  work  of  his  hands.  Never 
contravening  reason  or  the  revelations  of 
nature,  the  great  Redeemer,  who  took  our 
humanity  to  exalt  it,  has  caused  the  clouds 
which  curtained  his  throne  to  pass  away, 
that  man,  purified  from  sin,  might  open 
his  eyes  upon  the  Infinite,  and,  in  the  true 
Light,  see  light.  Such  is  the  temple  of  the 
Incarnate  Word,  who  speaks  the  language 
of  life,  and  the  voice  of  salvation  by  the 
shepherd  whom  he  has  commissioned  to 
guide  his  sheep.  How  can  the  clear  light 
of  revelation,  and  certainty  in  things  of 
faith,  interfere  with  the  progress  of  our 
race  in  wisdom  or  science  ?  God  is  true, 
if  every  man  be  found  a  liar.  Until  man 
shall  be  declared  equal  with  God,   our  real 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.        189 

advancement  will  be  in  the  obedience  of 
the  understanding-  to  the  Supreme  Good. 
When  man  proclaims  himself  independent 
of  truth  revealed,  then  hath  he  said  in  his 
heart,  "There  is  no  God";  then  the  deep 
night  of  atheism  will  reign  over  the  human 
intellect.  That  night  is  not  so  far  away 
from  many  minds,  that  its  shadows  are  not 
"  darkening  counsel  by  words  without  wis- 
dom," and  prostituting  powers  which  were 
meant  for  the  glorious  future,  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  passions  and  to  the  idolatry  of 
pride.  Philosophers  abound  who  have  not 
learned  the  primary  truths  of  natural  reli- 
gion ;  and  who,  in  their  self-worship,  for- 
get that  God's  being  is  the  fountain  of  all 
knowledge.  The  infallibility  of  the  supreme 
head  of  the  Christian  church  means,  cer- 
tainty in  faith,  a  clear  understanding  of 
Christianity.      Let  those  who  deny   it  show 


1 90        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

us  how,  without  it,  there  can  be,  as  there 
never  has  been,  one  fixed  and  immutable 
creed.  And  then  let  them  show  how  such 
a  creed,  which  makes  earth  an  antechamber 
of  heaven,  can  stand  in  the  way  of  the 
elevation  of  mankind. 

The  Catholic  religion  does  not,  indeed, 
teach  us  to  prefer  this  world  to  the  next, 
nor  to  believe  that  physical  progress  is  the 
great  end  for  which  we  should  labor.  Pre- 
paring us  for  eternity  in  the  few  months  of 
this  mortal  life,  she  can  only  echo  our 
Master's  words :  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  justice";  "What  shall  it 
profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  his  own  soul  ? "  All  knowledge 
is  useful,  except  the  knowledge  of  evil. 
Yet  who  will  deny  that,  even  here,  there 
are  grades  ?  Mechanics  are  not  to  be 
ranked    with    abstract    studies ;     philosophy 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       191 

rises  above  the  plane  of  natural  science  ; 
and  far  beyond  all,  is  that  labor  of  the  soul 
by  which  we  seek  to  know  ourselves  and 
our  relation  to  the  Infinite  ;  that  sun  whose 
effulgence  we  cannot  bear;  that  shoreless 
ocean  which  stretches  far  away  from  us  in 
the  limitless  being  of  God. 

What  means,  then,  this  battle  of  human 
freedom  of  which  we  hear  so  much  ?  Hath 
the  cry  of  modern  society  any  sense,  that 
it  should  ring  in  our  ears  from  day  to 
day  ?  Where  is  freedom  but  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Almighty,  whose  creatures  we 
are  ?  Hath  modern  society  taken  to  it- 
self such  power  that  it  can  cast  away,  as 
shackles  of  by-gone  ages,  the  facts  of  a 
revelation  from  on  high  to  our  needy  and 
suffering  race  ?  Is  this  emancipation  from 
the  restraints  of  Christian  law,  the  liberty 
which   men   are  seeking  for  with   so  much 


192        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

eagerness  ?  Alas  !  for  the  self-styled  cham- 
pions of  modern  thought,  when,  having 
cast  off  the  clear  light  of  the  city  which 
Jesus  Christ  set  on  a  hill,  they  wander 
hither  and  thither,  the  slaves  of  passion, 
or  as  dreamers  in  a  land  where  there  are 
no  realities.  To  them  the  senses  teach 
truth  no  longer.  God  cannot  make  his 
voice  to  be  heard;  and  so  the  eternal 
throne  which  holds  up  the  universe,  the 
fountain  of  all  possibility  and  existence, 
before  which  even  the  untutored  child  of 
the  forest  kneels,  is  attacked  by  the  puny 
weapons  of  their  philosophy.  Refusing  to 
receive  Jesus  Christ  for  their  teacher,  they 
wander,  groping  one  after  another,  as  the 
voice  of  a  man  calls  them  on,  and  bidding 
the  world  to  rejoice  that  the  fables  of  Chris- 
tianity are  exploded.  Heaven  with  its 
glories,   and   hell   with    its    fears,   a  day  of 


The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope.       193 

judgment  with  its  dread  account,  and  a 
Judge  before  whose  face  the  dead  shall 
stand ;  these  dreams  of  the  enthusiast  are 
no  longer  to  confront  the  soul  in  its  hours 
of  battle.  "  Come  with  me,"  saith  the  new 
philosophy,  "and  I  will  unbind  all  the 
chains  of  free  thought;  I  will  unloose  the 
manacles  from  hand  and  foot,  and  give  you 
liberty,  as  the  bird  which  escapeth  from 
her  cage,  and  trieth  the  strength  of  her 
wines.  You  shall  be  free  to  believe  no- 
thing,  to  know  nothing  of  the  world  be- 
yond the  grave,  to  have  no  master,  no 
teacher,  no  God."  Ah !  the  heart  in  the 
deep  of  our  nature  calleth  not  for  this  free- 
dom. It  asketh  for  a  clear  light  in  the 
darkness,  and  a  certain  voice  to  lead  to 
the  unchangeable  truth.  It  asketh  for  a 
God  all-powerful  to  save,   and  a  Man  all- 


1 94        The  Infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

pitiful  to  pardon.  And  when  that  great 
light  shineth  among  the  people  that  walked 
so  long  in  night,  and  a  Redeemer  cometh 
who  beareth  in  our  nature  the  fulness  of 
the  Godhead,  then  does  the  broken  heart 
of  humanity  revive  and  cry  out  for  joy :  "I 
have  found  thee  for  whom  my  soul  longeth, 
and  to  thy  voice  alone  will  I  listen,  till 
thou  shalt  lead  me  to  my  true  home.  This 
earth  is  not  my  home.  I  am  made  for  a 
glorious  destiny,  an  everlasting  reign,  where, 
before  God  and  his  saints,  I  may  bear  the 
palm  and  wear  the  crown.  Though  I  have 
wandered  long,  the  good  Shepherd  has 
found  my  heart  at  last.  A  voice  comes  to 
me  from  Galilee.  I  see  the  Word  Incarnate 
in  the  days  of  his  resurrection.  'Simon, 
son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  Me  more  than 
these  ?     Then,    feed    my   sheep.'     And    in 


A 


The  hifallibility  of  the  Pope.        195 

that  faith  which,  upheld  by  the  almighty 
prayer,  faileth  not,  I  confess  with  my 
whole  being,  'Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God.' " 


Lecture  Third, 

THE    TEMPORAL' POWER    OF    THE    POPE. 

"  Let  every  soul  be  subject  to  higher  powers :  for  there 
is  no  power,  but  from  God :  and  those  that  are,  are  ordained 
of  God.  Therefore  he  that  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the 
ordinance  of  God.  And  they  that  resist,  purchase  to  them- 
selves damnation." — Rom.  xiii.  I,  2. 

N  our  brief  course  of  lectures  upon  the 
Vicar  of  Christ,  we  cannot  omit  to  no- 
tice his  temporal  power,  in  regard  to  which  so 
much  has  been  said  and  done  in  the  present 
age.  The  church  will  ever  find  an  enemy 
in  the  world,  and  can  never  reconcile  her- 
self with  the  passions  of  men.  If  she  could 
sacrifice  her  creed  and  her  stern  lessons 
of  morality,  and  bend  to  the  popular  will, 
she  would  thereby  identify  herself  with  the 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.     197 

world,  and   altogether  lose  her  divine  char- 
acter.     "If  you    were    of  the    world,"    said 
our  Lord  to  his  disciples,  "the  world  would 
love  its  own  ;  but  because  you  are  not  of 
the  world,    therefore    does    the    world    hate 
you."     And   it  is  passing  strange  how  this 
hatred  of  the  church  affects  high  intellects, 
and    otherwise    ingenuous    minds.      On    all 
subjects  but  that  of  religion,  there  is  quiet- 
ness  in  discourse,  or  fairness   in   argument. 
When     the     Catholic     Church     receives    a 
blow,   there   is    a   secret  or  open   rejoicing, 
without   so    much    as    an    inquiry    into    the 
justice    of  the    attack,    or  a  care   to    know 
whether   the   blow  given    is    a   triumph   of 
evil  over  good,  and  a  stratagem  to  destroy 
the    very    foundations    of    morality.      It    is 
true,   indeed,   that   in   many  things  men  do 
not   reason ;    and   that  by  far  the  majority 
make   up   their  opinions    without   due    con- 


198     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

sideration.  But  very  many  apply  principles 
to  the  Catholic  Church,  and  her  interests 
upon  earth,  which  they  could  not  defend 
for  one  moment,  and  which  they  would 
allow  no  one  to  apply  to  themselves.  It 
is  in  vain  to  cry  for  justice,  for  that  is 
the  very  thing  they  are  unwilling  to  accord 
to  us. 

And  there  is  here  a  singular  difference 
between  us  and  our  adversaries.  We  state 
plainly  our  principles,  and  carry  them  out 
consistently,  and  are  ready  to  stand  by  all 
their  just  consequences.  Few  of  those  op- 
posed to  our  creed  pretend  to  show  their 
colors,  or  are  amenable  to  the  laws  of  logic. 
Now  they  defend  what,  to-morrow,  under 
another  point  of  view,  they  will  reject. 
And  if  we  demonstrate  to  them  the  ground 
on  which  they  stand,  and  the  only  defence 
which    is    possible    to    their    position,    they 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    199 

turn  as  carelessly  from  our  argument,  as 
if  the  conclusions  of  reason  were  of  no 
consequence  to  them.  And  all  the  while, 
they  accuse  the  church  of  interfering  with 
the  prerogatives  of  reason,  and  opposing 
the  progress  of  intelligence.  A  man  may, 
undoubtedly,  blind  himself,  and  boast  of 
his  ignorance,  but  the  terrible  retribution 
is  near  at  hand :  "  If  the  light  that  is  in 
us  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  dark- 
ness !" 

These  remarks,  true  of  the  whole  attack 
upon  the  Catholic  faith,  along  its  extended 
line,  are  especially  true  of  the  opinions 
expressed  in  our  day  in  regard  to  the  tem- 
poral power  of  the  Pope.  People  say,  "He 
ought  not  to  have  any  such  power,"  with- 
out even  asking  themselves  if  he  has,  in 
fact,  this  power  by  a  just  right  which  every 
one  is  bound  to  respect.     And  if  this  power 


200    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

be  taken  away,  they  rejoice  because  they 
think  it  will  weaken  the  Papacy,  without 
so  much  as  considering  whether  the  in- 
vasion of  his  rights  be  in  accordance  with 
the  principles  of  that  justice  which  is  essen- 
tial to  the  existence  of  any  Christian  state. 
The  golden  rule  is  scarcely  thought  of; 
for  there  is  not  one  among  the  assailants 
of  the  church  who  would  be  willing  that 
others  should  do  to  him,  what  he  rejoices 
to  see  done  to  others. 

Still,  with  all  the  disadvantages  under 
which  we  labor,  with  judge  and  jury  fore- 
warned and  biassed  against  us,  there  is  an 
appeal,  which  will  not,  either  now  or  here- 
after, be  wholly  in  vain  ;  to  the  everlasting 
principles  of  truth,  which  will  stand  when 
this  busy  age  is  gone  ;  which  are  as  immu- 
table as  God  himself.  Calm  judgment  re- 
vives   at   the    sight   of    long    injustice,    and 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    201 

honesty,  in  some  minds,  vindicates  her 
divine  prerogatives.  To  this  judgment  and 
to  this  honesty  do  we  speak  to-night,  in 
hopes  of  some  success,  even  where  we 
attack  long- seated  prejudice.  If  we  break 
the  golden  rule,  or  infringe  the  rights  of 
our  neighbor,  or  trample  upon  the  just 
laws  of  reason,  we  will  be  the  first  to  con- 
fess our  guilt.  But  if  we  speak  truthfully 
and  argue  fairly,  have  we  not  a  claim  to 
a  verdict  in  our  favor?  If  it  be  so  that 
we  are  vindicating  justice  on  earth,  then, 
in  the  name  of  all  that  is  holy,  we  deserve 
the  gratitude  of  men ;  for  we  are  fighting 
for  their  rights,  the  cause  of  good  order, 
and  the  welfare  of  our  race.  It  is  a  hap- 
piness to  speak  to  the  American  people ; 
for,  with  all  their  anxious  search  for  wealth 
and  physical  progress,  there  is  yet  a  hatred 
of  deceptions    and   an    honesty  of  purpose* 


202     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

which  will  one  day  break  off  from  many 
a  mind  the  shackles  of  prejudice,  and  the 
more  than  iron  bands  of  a  false  early 
education. 

To  elucidate  the  subject  of  our  lecture 
with  simplicity,  and  to  make  our  argument 
with  clearness,  we  will  first  define  what 
we  mean  by  the  temporal  power  of  the 
Pope,  and  state  the  Catholic  view  con- 
cerning it ;  secondly,  review  the  facts  of 
its  history ;  thirdly,  enter  the  protests  of 
religion  and  law  against  the  recent  inva- 
sion of  the  states  of  the  church ;  and,  last- 
ly, examine  the  reasons  which  are  alleged 
in  justification  of  acts  which  are  intrinsically 
against  God  and  man. 

i. 

The  temporal  power  of  the  Pope  is  that 
civil   princedom   which,   in  fact,  and  by  the 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    203 

providence  of  God,  he  has  possessed  over 
the  states  and  provinces  which,  for  a  long 
time,  have  been  subject  to  his  rule.  No  one 
can  deny  that  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  as  such, 
has  been  the  ruler  of  Rome  and  its  sur- 
rounding territory ;  and  as  the  King  of 
kines  rules  anions:  the  inhabitants  of 
earth,  that  it  has  been  by  his  providence. 
"  The  powers  that  are,  are  ordained  of 
God."  Any  legitimate  power  has  its  au- 
thority from  God,  and  exists  by  his  ordi- 
nance. To  deny  this,  is  to  deny  the  foun- 
dation of  governments ;  for  all  true  author- 
ity comes  from  God,  the  supreme  ruler, 
and  hence  it  is,  according  to  the  Scrip- 
ture, "  by  him  that  kings  reign,  and  princes 
decree  justice."  Even  the  heathen  empire 
of  Rome  was,  in  this  sense,  as  S.  Paul 
tells  us,  the  minister  of  God,  whom  Chris- 
tians were  bound   to  obey,    not  only   from 


204    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

fear  of  its  power,  but  "  for  conscience' 
sake,"  because  it  had  a  rightful  authority 
over  its  subjects.  The  Vicar  of  Christ  has 
been  the  legitimate  governor  of  his  states, 
and  if  there  be  a  legal  claim  to  civil  do- 
minion, he  possesses  it.  If  he  has  had  no 
such  claim,  then  there  is  no  government  on 
the  earth  which  exists  by  right,  and  no 
king  or  magistrate  to  whom  obedience  is 
due.  The  consequence  of  such  a  theory 
would  be  the  extinction  of  society,  since  it 
is  for  the  preservation  of  society  that  go- 
vernments exist,  and  are  a  necessity  dic- 
tated by  the  natural  law. 

If  we  look  for  a  title  to  govern,  which 
binds  in  conscience,  we  shall  scarcely  find 
among  the  nations  any  one  as  perfect  as 
that  of  the  Roman  Pontiff.  The  precise 
date  of  his  temporal  power  is  lost  in  early 
Christian    antiquity.       The    emperors    saw 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    205 

very  soon  the  incompatibility  of  their  pre- 
sence in  the  Eternal  City,  where  one  migh- 
tier than  they  overshadowed  them ;  and 
from  the  removal  of  the  court  to  Constan- 
tinople, the  Popes  became  the  virtual 
rulers  of  Rome.  That  which  is  called  by 
many  writers  the  donation  of  Pepin,  was 
really  only  the  restitution  of  the  provinces 
which  the  Lombards  had  seized  at  various 
times  by  unjust  war.  Neither  Pepin  nor 
any  of  his  predecessors  ever  laid  claim 
to  Rome.  Says  Gosselin :  "  What  must 
be  especially  noticed  in  the  donation  of 
Pepin,  as  well  as  in  that  of  Astolphus, 
which  was  its  consequence  and  authentic 
confirmation,  is  that  those  two  monarchs, 
when  guaranteeing  to  the  Holy  See  the 
possession  of  all  those  cities  and  territo- 
ries, never  pretend  that  they  are  making 
a   donation    strictly  so-called,    but   rather  a 


206    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

restoration  of  the  provinces  usurped  by  the 
Lombards  from  the  church  and  republic 
of  Rome.  This  was  the  title  on  which 
the  Pope  and  the  King  of  France  con- 
stantly claimed  those  provinces,  and  on 
which  the  King  of  the  Lombards  himself 
restored  them  to  the  Holy  See,  as  appears 
from  the  uniform  testimony  of  ancient 
authors,  both  French  and  foreign.  It  was, 
in  truth,  very  natural  to  regard,  as  the 
property  of  the  Roman  Church  and  repub- 
lic, provinces  long  abandoned  by  their 
former  masters,  and  which,  in  the  extre- 
mity to  which  they  were  reduced,  had  of 
their  own  free  will  placed  themselves  under 
the  protection  of  the  Holy  See."  * 

Charlemagne  not  only  recognized  and 
respected  the  Pope's  sovereignty  in  Italy, 
but    he    extended   and   consolidated    it    by 

*  Gosselin,  i.  pp.  226,  227.     ■ 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    207 

his  victory  over  the  Lombards,  and  by 
the  total  destruction  of  their  monarchy  in 
yji>-  "  Not  satisfied  with  confirming  Pe- 
pin's act,  he  ordered  his  chaplain,  Euthe- 
rius,  to  draw  up  a  much  more  ample 
donation,  securing  to  the  Roman  Church 
the  exarchate  of  Ravenna,  the  island  of 
Corsica,  the  provinces  of  Parma  and  Man- 
tua, Venice  and  Istria,  with  the  duchies 
of  Spoleto  and  Beneventura.  The  king 
signed  this  donation  with  his  own  hand 
and  ordered  it  to  be  signed  by  the  bishops, 
abbots,  and  dukes  who  accompanied  him  ; 
he  then  deposited  it  on  the  altar  of  S. 
Peter,  and  swore,  with  all  his  French  lords, 
to  preserve  for  the  Holy  See  all  the  ter- 
ritories mentioned  in  that  grant."  *  The 
Pontiffs  have  suffered  many  vicissitudes  on 
account  of  their  sacred  character,  yet  their 

*  Gosselin,  i.  232,  233. 


208     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

title  to  reign  over  Rome  and  its  tributary 
provinces  is  undisputed,  and  is  more  ancient 
and  more  just  than  that  of  any  sovereign 
in  Europe.  We  may  say  with  the  bishops, 
in  their  allocution  to  Pius  IX.,  on  the  Feast 
of  Pentecost,  1862,  when  two  hundred  and 
sixty-five  prelates  from  all  quarters  of  the 
world  surrounded  the  apostolic  throne : 
"  Who  may  dare  to  impugn  a  principality 
so  ancient,  established  by  so  great  autho- 
rity, and  even  by  so  great  a  necessity  ? 
If  that  human  right  in  which  is  found  the 
security  of  princes  and  peoples  be  consider- 
ed, what  other  power  can  be  compared  with 
this  ?  What  other  power  so  venerable  and 
holy  ?  What  monarchy  or  republic  in  the 
times  past  or  present  can  boast  of  rights 
so  august,  so  ancient,  so  inviolable  ?  If  all 
these  things  be  despised  and  counted  for 
naught  in  this  Holy  See,  what  prince  shall 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    209 

be  secure  in  his  kingdom,  or  what  republic 
safe  in  its  territory  ?  Therefore  is  it,  Holy 
Father,  that  thou  dost  contend  and  suffer 
for  justice  and  laws,  which  are  among 
nations  the  very  foundation  of  social  order. 
By  a  singular  providence  of  God  it  was 
that  the  Roman  Pontiff,  whom  Christ  made 
the  head  and  centre  of  his  whole  church, 
has  possessed  the  civil  principality,  and  it 
is  by  all  to  be  held  for  certain  that  by  no 
accident  was  this  temporal  power  given  to 
the  Holy  See,  but  by  a  special  divine  dis- 
position ;  and  that  it  has  been  confirmed 
and  preserved  through  the  long  series  of 
years  by  the  unanimous  and  almost  mira- 
culous consent  of  all  kingdoms  and  em- 
pires. 

And  so  we  may  attribute  to  this  princi- 
pality a  still  higher  sacredness,  by  reason 
of  the  character  and  office  of  the  Vicar  of 


210     The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope. 

Christ.  Surely  there  is  no  person  on  earth 
so  sacred,  no  one  with  whom  the  ways  of 
divine  Providence  are  more  intimately  con- 
nected. With  what  we  have  seen  and 
demonstrated  in  the  preceding  lectures,  we 
cannot  fail  to  recognize  the  propriety  of 
God's  dealings  with  the  chief  Pastor  of  his 
church,  in  thus  securing  his  independence 
and  freedom  for  the  discharge  of  his  great 
trust. 

Catholics,  then,  believing  that  "  the 
powers  that  are,  are  ordained  of  God," 
defend  the  just  title  of  the  Popes  to  reign 
over  the  states  committed  to  them  by  the 
prescription  of  so  many  ages.  They  do 
not  pretend  that  this  temporal  power  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  the  Papacy,  for 
wherever  the  Bishop  of  Rome  is,  there  in 
exile,  as  in  his  ancient  court,  is  the  whole 
power  of  Christ  the  Lord,  and  the  inviola- 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    2 1 1 

ble  supremacy  of  Peter.  But  we  do  con- 
tend that  this  power  is  needed  for  the  free 
discharge  of  the  Pontifical  office,  and  is 
eminently  salutary  to  all  nations.  The 
Bishop  of  Rome  is  not  simply  the  bishop 
of  one  diocese,  as  other  prelates  are,  but 
he  is  the  shepherd  of  the  whole  flock  of 
Christ,  commissioned  to  feed  with  heavenly 
doctrine  the  entire  earth.  There  is,  there- 
fore, an  impropriety  in  his  being  the  sub- 
ject of  another  prince,  who  may  by  his 
high  dominion  interfere  with  the  exercise 
of  his  spiritual  prerogatives.  Guarantees, 
of  whatever  stringency,  are  of  little  use 
when  it  is  the  interest  of  sovereigns  to 
break  them ;  and  treaties  are  cancelled  by 
a  stroke  of  the  pen  when  either  of  the 
contracting  powers  tires  of  observing  them. 
Catholics  need  a  home  where  they  can 
find  their  common  father,  with  no  restraints 


212    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

which  the  ambition  or  jealousy  of  kings 
may  choose  to  throw  around  him.  Such 
Rome  has  been  till  of  late,  a  city  unlike 
any  other,  a  home  for  the  faithful  of  every 
clime,  whose  august  monuments  even  time 
has  seemed  to  hold  sacred.  And  the  Ro- 
mans have  had  this  glory  which  has  dis- 
tinguished them  above  all  others.  Art 
and  science,  poetry,  sculpture,  and  paint- 
ing have  flourished  on  their  soil,  but  only 
because  the  throne  of  the  apostle  has  stood 
there,  the  centre  of  truth,  the  foundation 
of  Christian  lisfht  and  civilization.  Our 
argument  finds  a  vindication  in  the  cir- 
cumstances of  Italy  since  the  unlawful 
invasion  of  the  Pontifical  States.  The 
Pope  and  the  ministers  of  religion  are  not 

* 

free  even  now,  and  as  days  pass  away,  if 
there  be  no  change,  they  will  be  less  and 
less  free.      Suppose  a  state  of  war  to  arise 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.     213 

which  shall  involve  the  kingdom  of  Italy, 
where  shall  be  the  liberty  of  the  Vicar 
of  Christ  to  guide  and  instruct  the  nations  ? 
It  is  a  problem  how  long  the  Holy  Father 
can  reside  in  Rome,  though  we  are  sure 
he  will  remain  there  till  the  stern  neces- 
sities of  his  office  drive  him  elsewhere, 
that,  untrammelled,  he  may  feed  the  sheep 
of  the  Lord.  In  this  view  we  cannot,  per- 
haps, expect  non-  Catholics  to  agree  with 
us,  but  honest  men  can  appreciate  our 
position  with  the  faith  we  hold. 

It  has  already  been  said  that,  in  our  own 
country,  there  is  a  fact  which  goes  to 
support  our  claims.  The  people  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  good  of  the  whole, 
have  taken  many  of  the  rights  of  self- 
government  from  the  inhabitants  of  the 
District  of  Columbia,  that  there,  in  the 
seat    of    the     Executive     and     Legislative 


214    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

powers,  the  nation  may  have  freedom  and 
independence  of  local  control.  And,  al- 
though this  is  not  a  perfect  parallel,  still 
there  is  a  resemblance  which  illustrates 
the  views  we  hold  in  regard  to  the  prin- 
cipality of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  and  the 
necessity  of  his  complete  freedom  for  the 
great  pastorship  of  the  whole  earth. 

Catholics  worthy  of  the  name  are  all 
agreed  on  this  point.  They  cannot  hold 
other  opinions,  without  separating  them- 
selves from  the  heart  and  sentiment  of  the 
church.  The  Holy  Father,  and,  with  him, 
the  CEcumenical  Council,  have  condemned 
the  propositions  which  assert  that  "  the 
children  of  the  Catholic  Church  do  [or 
may]  differ  in  regard  to  the  compatibility 
of  the  spiritual  with  the  temporal  power," 
or  that  "the  abrogation  of  the  civil  do- 
minion which   the  Apostolic  See  possesses, 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    215 

would  conduce  to  the  liberty  and  felicity 
of  the  church."*  The  contrary  of  these 
propositions  is  true  for  all  Catholics.  The 
children  of  the  church  cannot  differ  on  this 
point,  because  for  them  God  in  his  pro- 
vidence, and  through  his  Vicar,  has  settled 
the  question.  The  loss  of  the  temporal 
power  would  not  conduce  to  the  liberty 
and  prosperity  of  the  church,  but  rather 
to  its  oppression  and  injury. 

II. 

But  just  as  is  the  title  of  the  Vicar  of 
Christ  to  his  civil  princedom,  and  useful 
as  we  know  it  to  be  to  Christianity,  it 
has  been  more  than  once  invaded.  The 
Pontiffs  have  had  to  follow  in  the  steps 
of  their  Master,  and  their  crown  has  been 

*  Syllabus  of  Pius  IX.,  sect.  ix. 


216     The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope. 

to  them  no  exemption  from  the  cross. 
From  S.  Peter,  who  was  crucified  with  his 
head  downwards,  to  Pius  IX.,  there  has 
been  in  the  Eternal  City  many  a  confessor 
and  martyr.  The  world  knows  of  the 
struggles  of  the  past.  Many  a  wave, 
mighty  and  overwhelming,  has  dashed  it- 
self to  pieces  against  the  rock  of  faith. 
Many  a  king  has  laid  his  hand  upon  Christ's 
anointed,  only  to  fall,  and,  in  due  time, 
to  be  ground  to  powder.  The  words  of 
Scripture  have  been  strangely  verified : 
"Whosoever  shall  fall  upon  this  rock  shall 
be  broken  ;  but  upon  whomsoever  it  shall 
fall,  it  will  grind  him  to  powder."  *  We 
doubt  not  that  history  will  repeat  itself, 
and  we  have  no  fear  for  the  flock  and 
its  shepherd. 

With    the   teachings  of  ages  past,   how- 

*  S.  Matthew  xxi.  44. 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    2 1 7 

ever  instructive,  we  have  not  at  this  time 
to  deal.  The  states  of  the  church  have 
been  invaded  in  our  own  day,  and  it  is 
of  this  invasion  that  we  are  to  speak. 
This  great  act  concerns  not  only  Catholics, 
but  all  mankind.  Let  us  briefly  review  the 
scenes  which  have  been  transpiring  under 
our  own  eyes,  at  which  many  have  ap- 
plauded, while  many  have  wept,  not 
for  themselves,  but  for  society  and  reli- 
gion. 

It  is  hardly  necessary,  in  the  compass 
of  this  short  lecture,  to  specify  the  steps 
by  which  Victor  Emanuel,  from  being 
the  head  of  the  state  of  Piedmont,  has 
raised  himself  to  the  position  he  now  holds. 
He  owes  little  to  any  strength  of  mind 
or  foresight  of  his  own,  and  has  confess- 
edly been  the  creature  of  others.  The 
wave   of    revolution    has   placed   him    upon 


218     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

his  uncertain  throne,  and  that  wave  has 
not  finished  its  work.  He  could  have  ac- 
complished little,  had  not  France  come  to 
his  aid,  and,  without  the  slightest  shadow 
of  right  or  justice,  interfered  in  the  affairs 
of  other  independent  nations.  The  un- 
happy Emperor  of  the  French  has  received 
his  punishment  for  a  selfish  diplomacy, 
which,  while  it  never  had  God  or  justice 
in  view,  was,  even  to  the  worldly-wise, 
foolish  and  suicidal.  He  has  built  up  the 
powers  which  have  fallen  upon  him,  and 
crushed  him.  Having  lent  himself  to  the 
cause  of  Italian  unity,  it  was  by  his  act 
that  the  states  belonging  to  the  Holy  Father 
were  spoiled,  for  without  him  nothing  could 
have  been  done.  France,  for  ages,  has 
had  the  glory  of  being  the  protector  of 
the  Holy  See,  and  still  cherished  the  hope 
of  preserving   the   patrimony    of    S.    Peter 


The  Teyiiporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    219 

against  the  revolution  her  emperor  had 
encouraged.  There  was  no  gratitude  from 
Italy  for  past  favors,  nor  even  conscience 
in  the  observation  of  treaties.  So  long  as 
France  held  the  Eternal  City  by  her  arms, 
the  convention  was  kept :  when  Napoleon, 
rushing  to  his  own  downfall,  recalled  the 
troops  which  had  held  guard  around  Rome, 
the  plighted  word  of  king  and  cabinet  had 
no  sacredness  whatever. 

On  the  10th  of  September  last,  an  army 
of  sixty  thousand  men,  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  guns,  encompassed  the  holy  city. 
There  was  not,  and  there  had  not  been, 
the  slightest  disquiet  within  the  walls,  nor 
any  appearance  of  revolution  in  the  Papal 
territory.  No  internal  movement  had  call- 
ed this  army  to  its  attack,  and  Christian 
history  certainly  has  no  parallel  to  this 
violation    of  all    law   and    justice.      It  was 


220     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

in  vain  for  Pius  IX.  to  contend,  with  his 
little  force,  against  a  siege  like  this.  The 
following  is  the  order  then  issued  to  the 
general  of  his  small  but  gallant  army : 

"At  this  moment,  when  a  great  sacri- 
lege, and  the  most  enormous  injustice,  is 
about  to  be  consummated,  and  the  troops 
of  a  Catholic  king,  without  provocation, 
nay,  without  even  the  least  appearance 
of  any  motive,  surround  and  besiege  the 
capital  of  the  Christian  world,  I  feel,  in 
the  first  place,  the  necessity  of  thanking 
you  and  our  entire  army,  for  your  gene- 
rous conduct  up  to  the  present  time,  for 
the  affection  you  have  shown  to  the  Holy 
See,  and  for  your  willingness  to  consecrate 
yourselves  entirely  to  the  defence  of  this 
metropolis.  May  these  words  be  a  solemn 
document   to   certify    to   the   discipline,  the 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.     221 

loyalty,    and  the  valor  of  the   army   in   the 
defence  of  this  Holy  See. 

1 

"As  far  as  regards  the  duration  of  the 
defence,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  command 
that  this  shall  only  consist  in  such  a  pro- 
test as  shall  testify  to  the  violence  that  is 
done  us,  and  nothing  more  ;  in  other  words, 
that  negotiation  for  surrender  shall  be 
opened  so  soon  as  a  breach  shall  have 
been  made  in  the  walls. 

"At  a  moment  when  the  whole  of 
Europe  is  mourning  over  the  numerous 
victims  of  the  war  now  in  progress  between 
two  great  nations,  never  let  it  be  said  that 
the  Vicar  of  Christ,  however  unjustly  as- 
sailed, had  to  give  his  consent  to  a  great 
shedding  of  blood.  Our  cause  is  the  cause 
of  God,  and  we  put  our  whole  defence  in 
his  hands.  From  my  heart  I  bless  you 
and  your  whole  army." 


222    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

These  words  are  worthy  of  him  who 
rules  so  sublimely  as  the  vicegerent  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  the  fire  of 
five  hours  had  made  a  breach  in  the  old 
walls,  and  the  Italian  soldiers  entered  in, 
followed  by  thousands  of  exiles  and  fugi- 
tives, who,  for  offences  of  many  kinds,  had 
been  banished,  or  had  fled  from  Rome. 
The  rest  is  known,  though  the  truth  has 
not  half  been  told.  Calmer  and  better  days 
will  place  the  actors  in  these  scenes  in 
their  appropriate  place  in  history,  and 
truth  and  justice  will  yet  vindicate  them- 
selves. 

The  following"  account  of  the  siege  is 
taken  from  a  private  letter  from  a  gen- 
tleman in  the  service  of  the  Holy  Father : 

"  The  principal  attack  was  made  at  the 
Porta  Pia,  where  Captain  Delahoyde,  with 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.     22 


1 


his  zouaves,  offered  a  determined  and  gal- 
lant resistance.  After  some  hours'  cannon- 
ading, a  breach  was  made  within  about  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  gate.  There  were 
not  more  than  four  companies  of  the  zouaves 
engaged.  This  magnificent  corps  numbered 
over  four  thousand,  and  why  the  main 
body  were  kept  away  is  a  matter  involved 
in  some  mystery.  It  was  well  known  that 
the  Holy  Father  deprecated  a  resistance, 
which  should  lead  only  to  the  useless  effu- 
sion of  blood ;  but  it  seems  inexplicable 
that,  out  of  a  corps  of  four  thousand,  all 
in  the  highest  state  of  efficiency,  only  four 
hundred  should  be  permitted  to  take  part 
in  resisting  the  invaders.  The  breach  hav- 
ing  been  effected,  a  storming  party,  com- 
posed of  bersaglieri  and  grenadiers,  em- 
erged from  the  wood  skirting  the  walls 
of  the    city    near   the    Porta    Pia,    and    en- 


224    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

deavored  to  take  the  breach  by  assault. 
They  were  again  and  again  repulsed  by 
the  hundred  zouaves  who  held  this  point, 
and  poured  a  destructive  fire  upon  them  as 
they  advanced  from  under  cover  of  the 
wood.  The  loss  of  the  Papal  troops  be- 
tween the  breach  and  the  Porta  Pia,  where 
the  struggle  raged  most  fiercely,  was  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  five 
officers  killed.  The  loss  of  the  enemy 
was  probably  two  thousand.  While  this 
unequal  contest  was  going  on,  an  officer 
from  General  Kanzler's  staff  arrived,  and 
raised  a  white  flag.  The  zouaves  imme- 
diately ceased  firing,  but  Victor  Ema- 
nuel's troops,  instead  of  observing  the 
usual  course,  and  sending  forward  a  par- 
lementaire,  with  characteristic  bad  faith  took 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  storm  the 
breach,    and    with    fixed    bayonets   dashed 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    225 

forward,  led  by  a  colonel  who  was  conspi- 
cuous in  front  waving  his  sword.  The 
zouaves  sent  a  volley  into  them  as  they 
came,  killing  the  colonel  and  a  number  of 
the  rank  and  file.  The  breach,  however, 
was  carried,  and  the  handful  of  devoted 
and  gallant  soldiers,  who  for  hours  suc- 
cessfully resisted,  were  overpowered  by 
superior  numbers.  So  the  Italian  troops, 
in  their  desire  to  achieve  the  eclat  of 
taking  Rome  by  storm,  violated  the  honor 
of  soldiers  by  an  unworthy  stratagem. 

"  When  the  zouaves  were  overpowered 
and  taken  prisoners,  some  of  the  Italian 
officers  determined  to  signalize  their  entry 
into  the  Eternal  City  by  an  atrocious  act 
of  murder.  The  zouaves  who  resisted  their 
advance  at  the  breach,  numberinor  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty,  were  all  ranged 
along  a  wall,  disarmed,   and  were  informed 


226     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

that,    inasmuch    as    they   had    fired    under 
flag  of  truce,  killing  several  officers  (among 
them    a    colonel)    and    several    men,    they 
were  to  be  all  shot,   and,    in   pursuance  of 
this,    files    of    men    were   drawn    up   before 
them  as  a  firing  party,  and  ordered  to  load. 
.  The  intended  outrage  was  happily  obviated 
by    the   arrival    of  a   superior   officer,    who 
countermanded    the    order,    and    prevented 
the  execution  of  what  would  have  been   a 
foul  murder.     After  this    the  zouaves  were 
marched   through    Rome,    and   subjected  to 
every   species   of  insult   and    indignity.       I 
have  myself  some   experience  of  the   man- 
ner in  which  disarmed  soldiers  are  treated 
by   Italian   cowards   and  cut-throats  ;   but  I 
believe  the  history  of  civilized  warfare  fur- 
nishes no  parallel  for  the  dastardly  way  in 
which    these   zouaves — many,    if    not    most 
of  them,    gentlemen   of  good  family — were 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    227 

used  by  the  miscreants  who  were  let  loose 
upon  Rome.  A  young  Belgian  nobleman, 
an  officer  of  zouaves,  who  distinguished 
himself  highly  by  repelling  the  enemy  at 
the  breach,  was  walking  along  quietly  with 
his  fellow-soldiers  after  they  had  been  taken 
prisoners;  he  still  retained  his  sword,  and 
this  attracted  the  attention  of  some  ber- 
saglieri,  who  demanded  it.  He  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  hilt,  and  said,  in  a  quiet 
but  firm  tone,  'Jamais!'  Immediately  half 
a  dozen  bayonets  were  buried  in  his  body, 
and,  in  order  to  finish  their  victim,  one 
of  the  ruffians  put  his  rifle  to  the  young 
zouave's  head,  and  blew  his  brains  out.  I 
believe  a  protest  by  some  young  English 
Catholic  gentlemen  who  served  in  the 
zouaves  is  in  course  of  signature  ;  but  with 
a  powerful  press  ready  to  gloss  over  and 
condone    every  outrage,   however  foul,  pro- 


228     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

vided  it  be  directed  against  the  head  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  a  protest,  no  matter 
how  impressive,  cannot  penetrate  far  into 
the  public  mind  of  England.  It  is  right, 
however,  that  Irish  Catholics  should  realize 
to  the  full  extent  the  infamy  which  re- 
ceives its  warmest  approval  from  the  liberal 
press  of  England,  as  well  as  the  silent 
sanction  of  a  liberal  government  which 
Irish  Catholics  help  to  maintain."  * 

The  consequences  of  this  invasion  were 
not  such  as  honest  and  moral  people 
would  applaud,  unless,  indeed,  their  hatred 
of  the  Catholic  religion  be  sufficient  to 
shut  out  all  principles  of  truth,  or  love  of 
decency.  We  give  a  short  extract  from 
a  letter  written  by  an  American,  which, 
from  many  sources  we  know,  is  not  in  the 
least  exaggerated : 

*  Correspondence  of  the  Dublin  Freeman. 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    229 

"The  city  is  entirely  changed.  The  quiet 
and  order  which  reigned  under  the  old 
regime  has  entirely  departed,  and  La  Mar- 
mora, with  his  10,000  bayonets,  is  unable 
to  accomplish  that  which  was  perfectly 
easy  to  the  Pontifical  gendarmes.  The 
streets  swarm  with  the  most  obscene  prints, 
and,  even  the  first  day  of  the  intrusion, 
Protestant  Bibles  were  sold  in  the  streets 
at  five  soldi  a  piece ;  but  even  that  low 
price  could  not  tempt  the  people,  so  our 
brethren  on  the  other  side  of  the  fence  re- 
tired in  disgust.  The  piazza  of  the  Rotun- 
da (the  Pantheon)  is  now  a  market-place, 
and  on  Sundays  the  Jews  sell  their  wares 
in  triumph;  and  on  last  Sunday,  October  16, 
whilst  High  Mass  was  being  sung  at  St. 
Louis  des  Francais,  the  steps  of  the  church 
itself  were  occupied  by  venders  of  infamous 
prints.      This    I    have    from    an    American 


230     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

Catholic  lady,  who,  passing  at  the  time, 
witnessed  the  fact.  Caricatures  swarm ; 
they  are  not  even  redeemed  by  wit,  and 
spare  neither  persons  nor  things.  The 
Pope  and  Cardinal  Antonelli  are  favorite 
subjects.  The  modus  operandi  is  as  fol- 
lows :  The  caricatures  most  offensive  to 
Catholic  hearts,  assailing  the  sacred  person 
of  our  venerated  father  and  sovereign, 
are  allowed  to  be  displayed  for  the  entire 
day,  until  all  Rome  has  beheld  them  ;  the 
next  morning  the  '  questore '  sequestrates 
them,  and  the  papers  announce  with  a 
grand  flourish  of  trumpets  that  such  and 
such  papers  have  been  seized  as  ridiculing 
the  Pope  and  religion.  The  streets  are 
lined  with  booths  containing  the  most  infa- 
mous books,  got  up  in  the  cheapest  form, 
so  as  to  be  within  the  reach  of  all  classes. 
I  have  examined  them  myself,  and  only  say 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    231 

what  I  know  to  be  true.  It  seems  as  if 
pains  had  been  taken  to  collect  all  the 
lowest  and  most  demoralizing  books  pos- 
sible. 

"  The  Sapienza  has  been  placed  under 
the  sway  of  a  band  of  professed  atheists ; 
the  Universitd,  ditto.  We  are  awaiting 
anxiously  the  opening  of  the  schools  and 
colleges,  which  is  near  at  hand,  to  see 
what  will  be  done  with  them.  Neither 
Irish  nor  German  Catholic  papers  have 
made  their  appearance  for  several  days, 
hence  it  is  supposed  they  are  stopped  at 
the  frontier,  dreading  the  effect  of  the 
many  protestations  which  they  contain, 
addressed  to  their  respective  governments 
by  the  Catholics  of  those  countries.  The 
espionage  over  letters  seems  to  have  ceased. 
At  first  our  letters  came  to  us  cut  open, 
and  we  were  made  aware  that  all    outgo- 


232    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

ing  correspondence  was  examined.  There- 
fore, for  several  weeks  we  forwarded  all 
by  private  hand  beyond  the  frontier.  Even 
the  correspondence  of  the  Pope  was  sent 
him  opened  by  the  rascals.  All  honor 
is  due  to  Prince  Torlonia,  for  the  noble 
manner  wherein  he  had  met  all  the  ag- 
gressions of  the  invaders.  Some  time 
since  he  purchased  the  Gesu,  the  profess- 
ed home  of  the  Jesuits,  adjoining.  The 
Ministry  of  Florence  decided  that  the  above- 
named  buildings,  as  also  the  Roman  Col- 
lege (St.  Ignatius),  would  be  just  the 
thing  for  the  Parliament,  and  signified  their 
intention  to  the  Society,  which  referred 
them  to  the  Prince.  The  latter  coolly  de- 
clined, claiming  the  whole  as  his  personal 
property."  * 

The    following    testimony,    from    a    most 

*  Correspondence  of  the  Freeman's  Journal,  New  York. 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    233 

respectable   source,    is   taken    from   one   of 
the  journals  of  this  city  : 

"The  revolution  is  gaining-  strength 
every  day.  Crowds  were  screaming  through 
the  streets  last  week,  '  Via  i  Ges?titi,  via 
il  Papa  / '  and  now  the  Jesuits  have  re- 
ceived orders  from  '  the  moderate '  (!) 
party  in  authority  to  give  up  the  Roman 
College  to  the  municipality,  so  that  muni- 
cipal schools  may  be  carried  on  in  it  after 
the  new  fashion  of  the  modern  Italian 
ideas.  So  the  liberty  of  the  Pope  in 
Rome  comes  to  this  also,  that  the  educa- 
tion not  only  of  the  Roman  youth,  but 
of  the  ecclesiastical  youths  from  some  twelve 
different  counties,  is  forcibly  withdrawn 
from  his  control.  The  Roman  University 
has  also  been  taken  possession  of  by  the 
invaders,   on    the  plea  of  its  being    in    the 


234    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

hands  of  the  priests,  and  yet  the  fact  is, 
that  of  sixty  professors  belonging  to  this 
illustrious  university,  fourteen  only  were' 
priests.  Even  the  chair  of  Canon  Law  was 
held  by  a  layman.  Another  proof  of  the 
liberty  of  the  Pope,  even  in  that  famous 
territory  of  the  Leonine  City,  may  be 
seen  in  the  fact  that  the  great  Hospital 
of  Santo  Spirito,  within  the  precincts  of 
that  city,  has  been  invaded  by  the  Italian 
revolutionist,  Dr.  Pantaleone,  who  has 
driven  out  the  fifty  Fratelli  who  served  it, 
and  usurped  its  management.  So  the  Pope 
is  no  more  free  within  the  Leonine  City 
than  without  it ;  and  no  freer  in  respect  to 
the  care  of  the  sick  and  dying  than  in 
the  matter  of  education. 

"  The  Romano  contains  an  article  attack- 
ing the  Minister-at-Arms,  and  also  Madame 
Kanzler,    their   only   crime   being   unflinch- 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    235 

ing  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Pope. 
The  revolutionary  press  is  becoming  daily- 
more  scurrilous,  and  its  object,  in  this  in- 
stance, is  clearly  to  incite  the  canaille  to 
an  attack  on  the  Vatican,  on  the  absurd 
pretence  that  it  is  still  full  of  zouaves — 
the  only  foreign  officers  being  the  Comte 
de  Beaumont,  an  aide-de-camp  of  General 
Kanzler's,  an  ex-Austrian  officer,  and  the 
colonel  of  the  Swiss  Guard,  the  Baron 
Alfred  de  Sonnenberg. 

"The  real  Romans,  it  must  be  owned, 
are  quite  disgusted  with  the  fungus  jour- 
nalism of  the  revolutionists ;  and  they  read 
the  Unita  Cattolica  with  avidity,  and  re- 
joice at  the  reissue  of  the  Osservatore. 
They  also  go  in  great  numbers  into  the 
Piazza  of  the  Vatican,  and  gaze  at  the 
building  which  contains  their  father  and 
true  sovereign,  and  then  go  into  St.  Peter's 


236     The  Temporal  Power  oj  the  Pope. 

to  pray  for  him.  It  is  to  be  wished  that 
this  good  people  had  a  little  more  courage, 
and,  mastering  their  fears  of  broken  win- 
dows, would  have  the  spirit  to  haul  down 
their  tricolor  flags.  A  great  many  of  them 
have  already  disappeared,  and  as  the  days 
of  '  terror '  are  for  the  present  over,  they 
might  well  remove  the  remainder  of  these 
badges   of  shame."  * 

The  Holy  Father  has  remained  in  quiet 
submission  to  wrongs  which  he  cannot 
resist,  giving  to  the  world  a  beautiful  ex- 
ample of  patience  and  resignation  under 
adversity  which  tests  greatness  of  soul. 
We  add  nothing  to  this  history  but  his 
own  protest,  sent  through  diplomatic  chan- 
nels to  all   the  courts  of  Europe  : 

*  Correspondence  of  the  New  York  World. 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.     237 

"  From  the  Vatican,  1870. 

"  Your  Excellency  is  well  acquainted  with 
the  fact  of  the  violent  seizure  of  the  great- 
er  part  of  the  States  of  the  Church,  made 
in  June,  1859,  and  in  the  September  of 
the  following  year,  by  the  government  now 
installed  at  Florence.  Equally  matter  of 
notoriety  are  the  solemn  reclamations  and 
protests  of  the  Holy  See  against  that  sa- 
crilegious spoliation — reclamations  and  pro- 
tests made  either  by  allocutions  pronounced 
in  the  Consistory,  and  published  in  due 
course,  or  else  by  notes  addressed  in  the 
name  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  by  the  under- 
signed Cardinal  Secretary  of  State  to  the 
Diplomatic  Body  accredited  to  the  Holy 
See.  The  invading  government  would  as- 
suredly not  have  failed  to  complete  its 
sacrilegious  spoliation  if  the  French  govern- 
ment,   well    informed    as    to    its   ambitious 


238    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

projects,  had  not  arrested  them  by  taking 
under  its  protection  the  city  of  Rome  and 
the  territory  still  remaining,  by  keeping  a 
garrison  there.  But,  as  a  consequence  of 
certain  compacts  entered  into  between  the 
French  government  and  that  of  Florence 
— compacts  by  which  it  was  supposed  that 
the  conservation  and  tranquillity  of  the 
dominions  yet  left  to  the  Holy  See  would 
be  secured — the  French  troops  were  with- 
drawn. These  conventions,  however,  were 
not  respected,  and  in  September,  1867, 
some  irregular  bodies  of  men,  urged  for- 
ward by  secret  impulses,  threw  themselves 
upon  the  Pontifical  territory,  with  the  per- 
verse design  of  surprising  and  occupying 
Rome.  Then  it  was  that  the  French  troops 
returned,  and  lending  a  strong-handed 
succor  to  our  faithful  soldiers,  who  had 
already   fought  successfully  against  the   in- 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    239 

vasion,  they  achieved,  on  the  plains  of 
Mentana,  the  repression  of  the  audacious 
invaders,  and  caused  the  complete  failure 
of  their  iniquitous  designs.  Subsequently, 
however,  the  French  government,  having 
withdrawn  its  troops  on  the  occasion  of  the 
declaration  of  wrar  against  Prussia,  did  not 
neglect  to  remind  the  government  of  Flor- 
ence of  the  en  easements  ^vhich  it  had  con- 
tracted  by  the  convention  specified  above, 
and  to  obtain  from  that  government  the 
most  formal  assurances  on  the  subject.  But 
the  fortune  of  war  having  been  unfavorable 
to  France,  the  government  of  Florence,  taking 
advantage  of  those  reverses,  to  the  prejudice 
of  the  agreement  it  had  entered  into,  took 
the  disloyal  resolution  to  send  an  over- 
powering army  to  complete  the  spoliation 
of  the  dominions  of  the  Holy  See,  although 
perfect  tranquillity  reigned  throughout  them, 


240    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

in  spite  of  very  active  instigations  made 
from  without,  and  in  spite  of  the  sponta- 
neous and  continual  demonstrations  of  fi- 
delity, attachment,  and  filial  affection  to 
the  august  person  of  the  Holy  Father  that 
were  made  in  all  parts,  and  especially  at 
Rome. 

"  Before  perpetrating  this  last  act  of  ter- 
rible injustice,  the  Count  Ponza  di  San  Mar- 
tino  was  sent  to  Rome  as  the  bearer  of 
a  letter  written  by  King  Victor  Emanuel 
to  the  Holy  Father.  The  letter  stated 
that  the  government  of  Florence,  not  be- 
insr  able  to  restrain  the  ardor  of  the  national 
aspirations  nor  the  agitation  of  the  "party 
of  action,"  as  it  is  called,  found  itself  forced 
to  occupy  Rome  and  the  territory  yet 
remaining  annexed  to  it.  Your  Excellency 
can  easily  imagine  the  profound  grief  and 
indignation    which   filled    the    heart    of  the 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    241 

Holy  Father  when  this  startling-  declaration 
was  made  to  him.  Nevertheless,  unshaken 
in  the  fulfilment  of  his  sacred  duties,  and 
fully  trusting  in  divine  Providence,  he 
resolutely  rejected  every  proposal  for  ac- 
commodation, forasmuch  as  he  is  bound 
to  preserve  intact  his  sovereign  power  as 
it  was  transmitted  to  him  by  his  prede- 
cessors. In  view  of  this  fact,  which  has 
been  brought  to  pass  under  the  eyes  of 
all  Europe,  and  by  which  the  most  sacred 
principles  of  law  and  right,  and  especially 
those  of  the  law  of  nations,  are  trampled 
under  foot,  his  Holiness  has  commanded 
the  undersigned  Cardinal  Secretary  of 
State  to  remonstrate  and  protest  loudly, 
and  the  undersigned  does  hereby,  in  the 
sacred  name  of  his  Holiness,  remonstrate 
and  protest  against  the  unworthy  and  sacri- 
legious  spoliation   of  the  dominions  of  the 


242     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

Holy  See  which  has  lately  been  brought 
to  pass ;  and  he,  at  the  same  time,  declares 
the  kimj  and  his  orovernment  to  be  re- 
sponsible  for  all  the  mischiefs  that  have 
resulted  or  shall  result  to  the  Holy  See 
and  to  the  subjects  of  the  Pontifical  Power 
from  that  violent  and  sacrilegious  usurpa- 
tion. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  have  the  command 
from  his  Holiness  to  declare,  and  the  under- 
signed does  hereby  declare,  in  the  august 
name  of  his  Holiness,  that  such  usurpation 
is  devoid  of  all  effect,  is  null  and  invalid, 
and  that  it  can  never  convey  any  prejudice 
to  the  indisputable  and  lawful  rights  of 
dominion  and  of  possession,  whether  of 
the  Holy  Father  himself  or  of  his  success- 
ors in  perpetuity ;  and  although  the  ex- 
ercise of  those  rights  may  be  forcibly  pre- 
vented and  hindered,  yet  his  Holiness  both 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    243 

knows  his  rights  and  intends  to  conserve 
them  intact,  and  re-enter,  at  the  proper 
time,   into  their  actual  possession. 

"  In  apprising  your  Excellency  officially, 
by  command  of  the  Holy  Father,  of  the 
deplorable  event  that  has  just  taken  place, 
and  of  the  protests  and  remonstrances  which 
necessarily  follow  it,  in  order  that  your 
Excellency  may  be  enabled  to  bring  the 
whole  matter  to  the  knowledge  of  your 
government,  the  undersigned  Cardinal  Sec- 
retary cherishes  the  persuasion  that  your 
government  will  be  pleased  to  take  into 
its  earnest  consideration  the  interests  of 
the  Supreme  Head  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
now  and  henceforward  placed  in  such  cir- 
cumstances that  he  is  unable  to  exercise 
his  spiritual  authority  with  that  full  liberty 
and  entire  independence  which  are  indis- 
pensable for  it. 


244    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

"  Having  now  carried  into  effect  the 
commands  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff,  it  only 
remains  that   I   subscribe   myself,    etc., 

"J.  Cardinal  Antonellli." 

These  are  calm  and  dignified  words, 
which  will  stand  an  immortal  witness 
against  the  spoliation  of  the  Holy  See, 
when  the  actors  of  to-day  are  forgotten. 
They  may  avail  little  now;  but  might  is 
not  right,  nor  is  success  a  proof  of  lasting 
strength. 

in. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  enter  our 
protest,  as  Christians  and  American  citi- 
zens, against  this  act  of  invasion  by  which 
Pius  IX.  has  been  stripped  of  his  just 
temporal  sovereignty.      Here  we  shall   en- 


The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope.    245 

deavor  to  be  as  brief  and  concise  as  the 
subject  will  allow.  We  protest  against  it, 
then,  first,  as  a  sin  against  God  and  the 
moral  law  ;  secondly,  as  an  offence  against 
the  Vicar  of  Christ  and  Christianity ;  and, 
thirdly,  as  subversive  of  the  order  of 
society  and  international  law. 

1.  God  forbids  us  to  steal,  and  theft  is 
a  sin  against  him.  When  a  sovereign 
possesses  a  right  to  reign  which  he  has 
in  no  way  forfeited,  it  is  stealing  to  take 
his  dominion  from  him,  or  interfere  with 
the  territory  rightly  placed  under  his  juris- 
diction. A  war  of  offence  without  any 
just  motive,  save  the  desire  to  acquire 
what  rightly  belongs  to  another,  is  always 
sinful ;  and  the  nation  or  king  that  thus 
takes  possession  of  the  states  of  another 
government,  is  a  thief  before  God  and 
man.     Success    will   not  cover  up  the  guilt 


246    The  Temporal  P ower  of  the  Pope. 

in  the  presence  of  that  tribunal  where  all 
must  one  day  stand.  The  prince  and  his 
abettors  are  all  culpable  in  the  sight  of 
heaven,  and  will  meet  their  just  punish- 
ment as  surely  as  the  criminal  who  breaks 
kito  his  neighbor's  house  and  robs  his 
treasure.  Society  punishes  the  latter  crime 
as  destructive  of  its  existence.  Nations  in 
community  ought  to  be  guided  by  the 
same  rule,  if  they  value  their  own  life. 
There  is  no  pretence  in  the  present  case 
that  the  Italian  army  had  provocation,  or 
that  Pius  IX.  was  not  a  rightful  sovereign. 
No  reason  whatever  can  be  assigned  for 
the  act  of  Victor  Emanuel,  except  that 
he  coveted  what  belonged  to  another,  and 
had  the  power  to  take  it.  Thieves  do 
the  same,  and  on  the  same  principles. 
Sometimes  they  are  punished  on  earth,  and 
often    they   prosper   and    are    called   to    no 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    247 

account  before  human  tribunals.  But,  even 
if  there  be  no  retribution  here,  the  moral 
law  remains  the  same,  and  the  great 
principles  of  right  and  wrong  cannot  be 
obliterated.  Nations  which  trifle  with  these 
principles  are  preparing  the  way  for  their 
own  downfall,  for  God  on  high  is  the 
supreme  king,  whose  patience  endures  very- 
long,  but  whose  justice  will  surely  fall  upon 
the  offender. 

2.  It  is  a  sin  to  steal  from  any  man 
or  from  any  sovereign,  but  it  is  an  ag- 
gravation of  that  sin  to  steal  from  the 
Vicar  of  Christ.  We  cannot  forget  the 
sacredness  of  his  person ;  and  even  non- 
Catholics  ought  to  venerate  one  whom  two 
hundred  millions  regard  as  the  vicegerent 
of  the  Lord.  Wonderfully  protected  by 
divine  Providence,  he  has  been  the  civil 
ruler    of    the    small    territories    around    the 


248     The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope. 

holy  city  during  ages,  when  dynasties  have 
risen  and  faded  away,  and  mighty  thrones 
have  crumbled  into  dust.  No  one  has  ex- 
perienced such  constant  proof  of  the  sup- 
port which  comes  from  the  King  of  kings, 
and  no  enemy  of  his  has  ever  long  pros- 
pered. 

Moreover,  it  is  because  of  his  office, 
and  his  hisdi  commission  to  feed  the  flock 
of  Christ,  that  God  has  given  him  this 
civil  independence ;  a  state  not  large 
enough  to  excite  the  envy  of  his  neigh- 
bors, and  yet  sufficient  to  guarantee  his 
freedom.  Is  it  nothing  to  lay  one's  hand 
on  the  property  of  the  church,  and  steal 
that  which  belongs  to  God,  the  princi- 
pality which  he  has  appropriated  to  his 
Vicar  ?  Is  it  nothing  thus  to  be  the  an- 
tagonist of  the  Christian  world  ?  It  may 
indeed    be    said    that    the    sinful    deed    is 


The  Temporal  Poivcr  of  the  Pope.    249 

done  by  a  professedly  Catholic  king,  by  a 
nation  which  calls  itself  faithful.  So  much 
the  worse  for  them,  as  greater  is  the  sin, 
and  more  grievous  will  be  the  punishment. 
Jesus  Christ  was  crucified  by  Jews,  and 
an  apostle  was  his  betrayer.  The  saddest 
wounds  are  those  we  receive  in  the  house 
of  our  friends.  An  open  enemy  would 
scarcely  have  ventured  to  plunder  the  home 
of  Catholic  faith,  and  lay  his.  sacrilegious 
hands  upon  the  head  of  Christianity.  We  do 
not  expect  others  to  think  as  we  do,  but  we 
do  ask  them  to  be  noble  enough  to  put 
themselves  in  our  place,  and  from  the  golden 
rules  of  morality  to  judge  kindly  and  justly 
of  our  rights  and  wrongs.  The  character 
of  the  Supreme  Pontiff,  and  the  nature 
of  his  civil  power,  aggravate  the  sin  which 
has  been  committed.  It  is  as  if  a 
son    were    to    turn    against    his    father,    or 


250    The  Temporal  Power  oj  the  Pope. 

the  robber  to  profane  the   temples   of  reli- 
gion. 

3.  But  as  American  citizens,  who  believe 
in  law  and  hate  revolution,  we  protest 
against  an  act  which  subverts  all  social 
order,  and  destroys  the  foundations  of  in- 
ternational justice. 

We  hold  that  nations,  as  individuals, 
are  independent  of  each  other,  and  that 
no  one  of  the  community  of  nations  can 
interfere  with  the  just  rights  of  another. 
We  enter  not  here  into  the  theory  of 
government.  We  do  not  hold  that  any 
particular  form  of  governmnt  is  established 
by  God ;  but  we  maintain  that  every  govern- 
ment legitimately  existing,  and  ruling  de 
facto,  is  to  be  obeyed  as  a  power  ordain- 
ed of  God.  No  other  theory  could  be 
adopted,  for  we  do  not  obey  one  who  has 
no    right    to    rule,    and,    without   obedience 


The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope.     251 

springing  from  a  real  obligation,  there  is 
no  order.  When  Ave  are  subject  to  any- 
one, it  is  for  God's  sake,  "whether  it  be 
to  the  kinof  as  excelling :  or  to  governors 
as  those  who  are  sent  by  him  for  the 
punishment  of  evil  doers,  and  for  the  praise 
of  the  good."  *  So  says  S.  Paul,  in  lan- 
guage which  concerns  the  immutable  prin- 
ciples of  justice,  and  which  no  progress 
can  call  the  doctrine  of  the  past.  "The 
powers  that  are,  are  ordained  of  God." 
This  proposition  is  general,  and  refers  to 
the  government  of  his  day,  then  a  hea- 
then tyranny,  as  well  as  to  the  sovereigns 
of  our  own  age.  "  There  is  no  power  but 
of  God.  Therefore  he  that  resisteth  the 
power,  resisteth  the  ordinance  of  God.  And 
they  that  resist  purchase  to  themselves  dam- 
nation.    For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  the 

*  1  S.  Peter  ii.  13,  14. 


252     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

good  work,  but  to  the  evil.  Wilt  thou  then 
be  afraid  of  the  power  ?  Do  that  which  is 
good ;  and  thou  shalt  have  praise  of  the 
same.  For  he  is  the  minister  of  God  to 
thee,  for  good.  But  if  thou  do  that  which  is 
evil,  fear :  for  he  beareth  not  the  sword  in 
vain.  For  he  is  the  minister  of  God :  an 
avenger  to  execute  wrath  upon  him  that 
doeth  evil.  Wherefore  be  subject  of  neces- 
sity, not  only  for  wrath,  but  also  for  con- 
science sake.  Therefore  also  you  pay  tri- 
bute. For  they  are  the  ministers  of  God, 
serving  unto  this  purpose."  * 

A  government  legitimately  existing  is  to 
be  obeyed  by  its  own  subjects,  and  respected 
by  its  neighbors.  We  do  not  see  how  any 
one  can  contravene  this  statement.  Mi^ht 
does  not  alone  make  itself  to  be  considered ; 
the  law  of  nature  and  of  God  lies  beneath 

*  Rom.  xiii.  1-6. 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    253 

the  fabric  of  society  as  constituted  by  his 
providence. 

"  The  law  of  nations,"  says  Judge  Kent, 
"is  a  complex  system  composed  of  various 
ingredients.  It  consists  of  general  princi- 
ples of  right  and  justice,  equally  suitable 
to  the  government  of  individuals  in  a  state 
of  equality,  and  to  the  relations  and  con- 
duct of  nations.  .  .  .  We  have  the 
authority  of  the  lawyers  of  antiquity,  and 
of  some  of  the  first  masters  in  the  modern 
school  of  public  law,  for  placing  the  obli- 
gation of  nations  and  individuals  on  simi- 
lar grounds,  and  for  considering  individual 
and  national  morality  as  parts  of  one  and 
the  same  science"* 

This  being  the  case,  nations  are  bound 
to  respect  each  other  on  the  same  prin- 
ciples   which   bind   individuals    as    subjects 

*  Kent,  Comment.,  lect.  i.  §  3. 


254    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

or  fellow-citizens.  So  says  the  same  au- 
thor :  "  Nations  are  equal  in  respect  to 
each  other,  and  entitled  to  claim  equal 
consideration  for  their  rights,  whatever.be 
their  relative  dimensions  or  strength,  or 
however  greatly  they  may  differ  in  govern- 
ment, religion,  or  manners.  This  perfect 
equality  and  entire  independence  of  all 
distinct  states  is  a  fundamental  principle 
of  public  law.  It  is  a  necessary  conse- 
quence of  this  equality  that  each  nation 
has  a  right  to  govern  itself  as  it  may  think 
proper;  and  no  one  nation  is  entitled  to 
dictate  a  form  of  government,  or  religion, 
or  a  course  of  internal  policy,  to  another. 
No  state  is  entitled  to  take  cognizance 
of  the  domestic  administration  of  another 
state,  or  of  what  passes  within  it  as  be- 
tween the  government  and  its  own  sub- 
jects.     The  Spaniards,   as  Vattel  observes, 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.     255 

violated  all  rules  of  right  when  they  set 
up  a  tribunal  of  their  own  to  judge  the 
Inca  of  Peru  according  to  their  own  laws. 
If  he  had  broken  the  laws  of  nations  in 
respect  to  them,  they  would  have  had  a  right 
to  punish  him  ;  but,  when  they  undertook 
to  judge  of  the  merits  of  his  own  interior 
administration,  and  to  try  and  punish  him 
for  acts  committed  in  the  course  of  it, 
they  were  guilty  of  the  grossest  injustice. 
The  interference  of  Russia,  Prussia, 
and  Austria  in  the  internal  government 
of  Poland,  first  dismembering  it  of  large 
portions  of  its  territory,  and  then  finally 
overturning  its  constitution,  and  destroying 
its  existence  as  an  independent  power,  was 
an  aggravated  abuse  of  national  right. 
We  may  cite  also  the  invasion  of  Naples 
by  Austria  in  1821,  and  of  Spain  by 
France    in    1823,    under  pretext    of  putting 


256    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

down  a  dangerous  spirit  of  internal  revo- 
lution and  reform,  as  instances  of  the  same 
violation  of  the  absolute  equality  and  in- 
dependence of  nations."  * 

These  principles  being  indubitable,  there 
is  nothing  that  can  justify  the  act  of  the 
Italian  government.  There  was  no  offence 
given  by  the  Pontifical  States.  Rather, 
unable  to  cope  with  the  larger  armies  of 
surrounding  nations,  they  have  patiently, 
but  not  without  protest,  borne  injustice 
and  spoliations  which  no  strong  govern- 
ment could  for  a  moment  endure.  The 
little  territory  of  the  venerable  Pontiff  was 
no  menace  to  its  neighbors.  No  motives 
of  security  or  self-defence  influenced  the 
invader.  All  that  can  be  said  is,  that  he 
desired  to  extend  his  kingdom  into  the 
bounds  of  princes  equally  independent  with 

*  Kent's  Comm.,   §§  22,  23. 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    257 

himself,  and  to  take  by  force  that  which 
he  could  not  have  by  right.  There  was 
no  disquiet  or  revolution  in  Rome,  and 
if  there  had  been,  he  could  not  have  in- 
terfered until,  according  to  the  laws  of 
nations,  he  was  asked  to  do  so  by  legiti- 
mate authority,  or  until  his  own  safe- 
ty was  imperilled.  But  at  the  time  of 
his  invasion,  the  holy  city  was  in  pro- 
found peace,  and  content  and  happiness 
reigned. 

Can  American  citizens,  who  sigh  over 
the  wrongs  of  Poland,  and  claim  freedom 
for  themselves,  justify  an  act  like  this  ? 
Can  a  stronger  nation  be  allowed,  without 
protest,  to  enter  the  territory  of  a  weaker, 
and  spoil  its  goods  and  dethrone  the  law- 
fully existing  sovereign?  If  so,  then  we 
are  never  safe  from  brute  force,  and  our 
own  government  may  fall,  when  a  mightier 


258     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

neighbor  may  be  found  who  aspires  for 
our  goods.  Then  there  is  no  law  but 
that  of  might,  and  all  the  world  over,  it* 
is  the  contest  of  beasts,  who  fight  with- 
out moral  restraints,  the  strongest  being 
the  victor. 


IV. 


There  are  no  reasons  adduced  to  justify 
this  violation  of  the  laws  of  God  and  of 
society,  which  can  have  one  moment's 
weight  before  an  impartial  tribunal.  It  is, 
however,  worth  the  trouble  to  notice  briefly 
what  is  said,  and  to  show  how  poor  is  the 
cause  of  modern  revolution.  Our  remarks 
on  this  head  will  also  place  in  plainer  light 
the  just  prerogatives  of  the  Pontiff. 

The  most  violent  opponents  of  the  Papal 
power  do  not  pretend  that  the  government 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    259 

of  the  Pope  was  in  any  way  tyrannical 
or  oppressive,  but  they  say  that  the  people 
willed  that  he  should  no  longer  be  a  tem- 
poral sovereign,  and  that  the  Italians  as- 
pired for  a  national  unity  which  they  had 
a  right  to  have. 

1.  As  it  is  asserted  by  no  one  that  the 
Papal  government  was  oppressive,  we  need 
not  delay  to  show  how  paternal  and  bene- 
ficent that  rule  has  been  during  the  many 
years  of  its  existence,  nor  how  its  example 
has  guided  and  restrained  other  kings  and 
countries.  No  ri^ht  which  man  can  ask 
for  his  protection  and  welfare,  has  ever 
been  withheld.  Conciliary  representation 
is  not  an  absolute  right ;  but  even  this, 
with  all  its  benefits,  Pius  IX.  was  disposed 
to  grant,  if  it  had  been  consistent  with 
the  safety  of  his  people  and  the  security 
of  his    own    person.     The    only    fault,    if  it 


260    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

be  a  fault,  was  that  the  Popes  were  too 
indulgent  towards  rebellion,  and  too  easy 
to  pardon  the  criminals  whose  oaths  were 
as  easily  broken  as  given,  and  who  only 
made  use  of  orace  to  connive  against  the 
life  and  authority  of  their  sovereign.  Yet 
the  Pontiffs  could  never  forget  the  Prince 
of  peace  and  mercy  whose  vicegerents 
they  were.  Had  Pius  IX.  been  disposed 
to  head  the  movement  against  Austria 
and  become  aggressive,  he  might  have  been 
even  popular  with  the  multitude.  But 
the  Vicars  of  Christ  cannot  contravene  the 
principles  of  morality,  nor  forget  the  duties 
of  religion ;  and,  if  they  must  be  martyrs 
or  confessors  to  maintain  riodit  anion gf  the 
kings  of  the  earth,  they  will  never  hesitate 
to  offer  their  lives. 

2.  Yet  it  is  said  that   the   people    willed 
the  abolition  of  the  Pope's  temporal  power, 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    261 

and  that,  therefore,  they  had  a  right  to 
abolish  it. 

To  this  we  reply:  first,  that  no  such 
right  is  recognized  by  the  laws  of  God 
or  man  ;  and,  secondly,  that  it  has  never 
appeared  that  the  Roman  people  really 
wished  to  dethrone  their  sovereign. 

Is  there  any  one  who  will  seriously 
maintain  that  the  majority  of  a  nation  or 
state  have  the  power  to  change  the  form 
of  a  government,  drive  away  their  rulers, 
and  extinguish  vested  rights  whenever  they 
wish?  No  writer  on  law  or  ethics  could 
for  a  moment  defend  such  a  principle, 
for  it  would  put  an  end  to  all  law,  and 
the  security  of  all  high  power,  legislative 
or  executive.  If  the  will  of  the  majority 
be  law,  then  why  talk  of  any  other  rule, 
when,  day  by  day,  the  fabric  of  society 
rests    on    shifting    sands,    and    rulers    and 


262     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

legislators  and  princes  are  at  the  pleasure 
of  their  subjects  ?  If  it  be  said  that  a 
government,  by  extreme  tyranny,  by  tramp- 
ling on  the  personal  rights  of  individuals, 
has  lost  its  claim  to  reign,  this  is  another 
proposition,  which,  even  then,  must  be 
taken  with  great  care  for  all  the  parties 
concerned.  Rebellion,  even  against  a  ty- 
rant, is  the  last  resort,  and  is  not  to  be 
justified  on  mere  expediency  or  caprice. 
Catholics  are  bound  by  a  stricter  law 
than  others,  for  we  are  taught  that  "the 
powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God,"  and 
that  we  "should  submit  for  co?iscience* 
sake."  In  a  republic,  there  is  a  legal  way 
of  remedying  abuses  of  rulers,  and  there 
is  the  same  power  in  constitutional  monar- 
chies, while  even  in  despotisms  there 
are  modes  of  petition  and  redress.  If  we 
were    to    o-ive   advice   to   our  own   commu- 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    263 

nion,  we  should  follow  the  Scriptures  and 
the  great  lights  of  the  church,  and  urge 
to  patience,  strict  observance  of  the  law, 
and  its  salutary  provisions ;  and,  above 
all,  trust  in  God,  who  is  supreme  among 
the  kings  of  the  earth.  But  to  say  that, 
without  any  cause,  without  the  pretext  of 
tyranny  or  oppression,  the  majority  shall 
have  their  way,  and,  at  their  will,  spare 
nothing,  but  sweep  away  the  throne,  the 
legislator,  and  the  constitution — this  is  to 
crown  mobocracy,  and  bring  back  chaos 
in  society,  from  which  every  honest  citizen 
would  flee  away  in  terror.  We  are  pre- 
pared to  declare  that  Americans,  though 
they  talk  often  wildly  and  inconsequently, 
are  not  yet  ready  for  principles  like  these, 
which  are  subversive  of  all  government. 
On  what  theory  did  we  act  .vhen  the 
people  of  the  Southern  States  of  our  con- 


264    The  Temporal  Power  of  'the  Pope. 

federacy,  with  one  unanimous  voice,  wished 
to  withdraw  from  the  compact  of  our  con- 
stitution, and  govern  themselves  ?  We 
saw  not  their  rio-ht  to  rebel,  even  though 
they  were  independent  sovereignties,  with 
full  powers  of  self-government.  No  one 
at  the  North  started  the  question  of  popu- 
lar freedom,  or  said  that  it  was  a  matter 
which  the  Southern  people  should  decide 
for  themselves.  The  nation  or  kingdom 
which  admits  that  it  holds  its  claim  to 
rule  by  the  majority  of  its  members,  who 
are  free  any  day  to  change  their  will,  ab- 
dicates, in  this  very  admission,  all  the 
powers  of  high  dominion  or  government. 

But,  secondly :  It  has  never  appeared 
that  the  people  of  the  Papal  States  have 
desired  a  change  in  their  sovereign,  and 
it  is  certain  that  the  great  majority  were 
better   satisfied    before    the    invasion    than 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    265 

they  are  now.  It  is  well  known  to  every- 
one that,  in  times  of  great  excitement,  it 
is  the  designing  minority  which  takes  all 
the  active  part,  and  really  conducts  affairs. 
The  better  class  are  indisposed  to  follow 
an  unscrupulous  mob  with  open  opposition, 
and  so  often  sacrifice  themselves  and  their 
best  interests.  It  may  be  that  they  are 
to  be  blamed  for  this,  but  it  is  true  in  all 
popular  revolutions,  that  the  few  lead  the 
many.  The  history  of  almost  every  country 
proves  this,  as  revolutionists  are  ready 
to  use  means  and  arms,  for  which  the 
majority  are  unprepared.  In  the  case 
before  us,  there  was  no  popular  move- 
ment in  the  Roman  territory,  nor  any 
fear  of  an  outbreak.  The  dominion  of 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff  was  in  peace  and 
tranquillity,  even  when  the  guard  of  French 
soldiers  had  left  their  post.     And  Pius  IX. 


266    The  Temporal  Power  oj  the  Pope* 

would  never  have  had  cause  to  fear  it  he 
had  been  left  to  the  voice  of  his  own  sub- 
jects, and  had  been  free  from  the  plots  of 
his  neighbors.  As  for  the  plebiscite,  of 
which  we  hear  so  much  in  these  days, 
let  any  honest  man  tell  us  what  he  thinks 
of  its  fairness  !  It  has  been  an  invention 
of  our  age  to  cloak  the  injustice  of  inva- 
sion and  revolt,  and  the  violation  of  law 
and  treaties,  by  this  pretended  voice  of 
the  people.  As  if  the  popular  vote  could 
make  evil  good,  or  injustice  justice.  And 
in  the  presence  of  an  invading  army,  in 
the  wild  excitement  of  revolution,  what 
chance  is  there  for  a  free  vote,  especially 
when,  in  sight  of  bayonets,  every  one  is 
to  make  his  vote  public,  or  abstain  from 
voting  ?  Who  is  so  credulous  as  to  dream 
that  the  invaders,  who  have  charge  of  the 
ballot-box,  will  permit  a  negative  vote,  and 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    267 

retire  from  the  ground  already  taken  by 
force  of  arms  ?  Such  a  plebiscite  never 
has  been,  and  never  will  be,  an  honest 
expression  of  the  popular  will.  As  for 
the  vote  in  the  Roman  States,  we  know 
from  positive  facts  that  it  was  anything 
but  free  or  fair.  We  need  not  multiply 
testimonies  to  this  effect.  We  will  give 
one  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  an 
American  for  whose  truthfulness  we  can 
vouch : 

"Twenty -five  thousand  persons  were 
brought  hither  from  Florence,  and  paid 
fifteen  lire  per  day,  for  three  days,  to  vote 
as  Romans.  And  on  the  second  of  Octo- 
ber, the  day  of  the  plebiscite,  a  foreign 
gentleman  here  thought  he  would  see  if 
it  were  possible  to  vote.  He  went  to  the 
place   and   asked   for  a   ticket ;   no   one  de- 


268     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

manded  his  name  or  nationality.  There 
beine  twelve  voting  urns,  he  visited  them 
all,  and  deposited  twenty-one  '  Si,'  never 
once  being  challenged.  This  came  from 
his  lips.  Three  German  gentlemen  did 
the  like,  and  deposited  thirty-six  votes 
amongst  them.  My  padrona  di  casa,  who 
is  a  native  of  San  Lorenzo,  a  small  place 
near  Viterbo,  upon  seeing  the  overwhelm- 
ing returns  from  her  native  place,  said  to 
me :  '  Why,  there  are  more  votes  than  in- 
habitants.' Last  week  she  went  home  for 
a  few  days,  and,  upon  returning,  came  to 
ask  me  if  I  remembered  the  large  vote 
given  from  San  Lorenzo,  adding :  '  The 
truth  is,  Signorina,  none  of  the  people 
voted ;  all  the  principal  inhabitants  left, 
and  the  "Si"  were,  they  tell  me,  thrown 
in  by  handfuls.'  As  a  man  is  justified  in 
imagining  what  may  happen  by  what  has 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    269 

happened,  we  may  conclude  the  like  to 
have  occurred  in  the  other  towns  and  pro- 
vinces.    * 

It  would  be  easy  to  add  other  evidence, 
but  the  addresses  made  to  the  Holy  Father 
by  his  own  people,  and  the  feeling  protests 
he  has  received  from  every  part  of  his 
own  states,  are  proof  enough  of  the  real 
position  of  the  true  citizens  of  Rome. 
What  can  they  do,  however,  against  an 
army  of  sixty  thousand,  and  a  mob  of  the 
most  abandoned  cut-throats  of  Europe  ? 
We  do  not  deny  that  there  are  some  of 
the  Romans  who  have  aspired  for  Italian 
unity,  but  we  feel  sure  that  they  are  not 
the  majority,  either  in  numbers  or  im- 
portance. 

We  have  a  proof  of  this  in  the  address 

*  Correspondence  of  the  New  York  Freeman  s  Journal. 


270     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

lately  made  to  his  Holiness  by  twenty  - 
seven  thousand  of  his  devoted  people.  We 
will   let  the   address   speak   for  itself: 

"  Rome,  July  25;  1871. 

"  Yesterday  the  Council  of  Direction  of 
the  Roman  Society  of  Catholic  Interests 
presented  to  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  the 
volumes  containing  27,161  signatures  from 
all  classes  of  Roman  citizens  above  eiofh- 
teen  years  of  age,  inscribed,  according  to 
their  parishes,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
render  a  mistake  impossible.  The  impor- 
tance of  the  thing  will  be  apparent  to  all. 

"  ADDRESS     TO     THE     POPE. 

"Prince  Mario  Chigi,  Prince  of  Cam- 
pagnane,   read  the  following  address : 

"  Most  Holy  Father  :  When  the  Roman 
Society  of  Catholic   Interests   placed  at  the 


The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope.    2  7 1 

feet  of  your  Holiness  its  most  lively  con 
gratulations  on  the  occasion  of  your  Pon- 
tifical jubilee — an  event  unique  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Roman  Pontificate  —  allusion 
was  made  to  a  collection  of  signatures 
which  should  bear  witness  how  the  flower 
of  the  good  and  religious  inhabitants  of 
this  city,  the  mother  and  nurse  of  faith, 
of  order,  and  of  civilization,  deplores  the 
violations  of  law,  and  boasts  of  aiming  to 
occupy  the  first  place  in  the  midst  of  the 
numerous  cohort  of  your  children,  the  most 
devoted  and  the  most  faithful  in  frank  pro- 
fession of  Catholic  sentiments.  The  Pro- 
phet Elias,  complaining,  in  presence  of  the 
Lord,  of  the  defection  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  of  the  altars  destroyed,  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  sanctuary  slain,  and  of  the 
complete  abandonment  in  which  it  remained, 
heard    the   Lord   say :     '  Dcrelinquam    mihi 


272     The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope. 

in  Isi'acl  septeni  millia  virorum  quorum 
genua  non  sunt  incurvata  ante  Baal  et 
omne  os  quod  non  adoravit  eum,  osculans 
manus! 

"  We  are  happy,  Holy  Father,  to  lay 
at  your  sacred  feet  four  times  seven  thou- 
sand testimonies  of  love  and  fidelity  from 
your  Rome  alone — testimonies  all  the  more 
striking  as  being  spontaneous,  and  coming 
from  a  class  of  citizens  whose  rights  by 
age  and  condition  are  established.  They 
would  have  been  more  numerous  if  the 
misfortunes  of  the  times  had  not  driven 
from  this  city  a  considerable  and  select 
part  of  her  children.  As  the  Catholic  de- 
clarations which  we  offer  you  in  the  name 
of  Rome  are  numerous,  so  will  the  bless- 
ing of  your  heart  and  arm  upon  us,  upon 
the  signers  and  upon  the  city,  be  wide- 
spread, while  we  prostrate  ourselves  to  re- 


The  Temporal  Poivcr  of  the  Pope.    273 

ceive  it,  in  order  to  prosecute  courageously 
all  those  works  whose  aim  is  the  moral 
preservation  of  Rome,  the  seat  and  centre 
of  the   Catholic   religion. 

"  THE     POPE'S     REPLY. 

"  His    Holiness    replied  : 

"  Yes,  that  is  very  true,  and  we  give 
glory  to  God  for  it,  and  praise  to  you 
also.  Yes,  that  is  very  true.  Rome  will 
preserve  herself  faithful  to  herself.  It  shall 
never  be  said  of  Rome,  as  has  been  said 
of  Chorazin   and  Bethsaida,    'Woe  to  thee, 

Chorazin,  woe  to  thee,  Bethsaida,  because 
if  the  prodigies  and  benefits  which  have 
been  accomplished  under  your  eyes  had 
taken  place  in  other  countries,  these  would 
have  converted ;  so  that  in  the  day  of  - 
judgment  their  fate  will  be  better  than 
yours.'     No,    that   will    never    be    said    of 


274     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

Rome.  The  fidelity  and  honor  which  have 
kept  you  closely  serried  around  me,  and 
which,  in  the  midst  of  a  torrent  of  evils, 
enable  you  to  follow  courageously  in  the 
paths  of  justice,  and  have  made  you  worthy 
citizens  of  this  city,  stained  with  the  blood 
of  so  many  martyrs,  illumined  by  the 
virtues  of  so  many  confessors ;  the  good 
works  which  you  have  performed  with  so 
much  zeal,  the  care  you  have  taken  to  main- 
tain and  spread  piety,  make  you  truly 
worthy  of  the  blessing  of  God  and  the 
applause  of  all  religious  men,  and  even 
of  men  who  are  simply  straightforward 
and  honest.  May  God  keep  you  in  those 
holy  dispositions,  and  deliver  you  from  the 
evils  with  which  this  city  is  overwhelmed. 
T  bless  you  tenderly;  you  and  your  fami- 
lies. I  bless  those  27,000  who,  at  this 
moment  away  from  Rome,    have   not  been 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    275 

able  to  take  part  in  this  beautiful  demon- 
stration  otherwise   than   in   spirit. 

"  You  say  I  am  fatigued.  Yes,  I  am 
fatigued  at  the  sight  of  so  many  iniquities, 
so  much  injustice,  so  many  disorders.  I 
am  fatigued  with  seeing  religion  insulted 
daily  in  a  city  which  used  to  give  to 
the  world  an  example  of  respect  for  faith 
and  morality.  I  am  fatigued  with  seeing 
the  innocent  oppressed,  the  ministers  of  the 
sanctuary  insulted — with  seeing  what  we 
most  love  and  venerate   profaned. 

"  Yes,  I  am  fatigued,  but  by  no  means 
disposed  to  lay  down  my  arms — (here  loud 
applause  burst  from  all  sides  of  the  hall)  — 
nor  to  make  terms  with  injustice,  nor  to 
desist  from  fulfilling  my  duties.  No,  thank 
God !  I  am  not  fatigued  enough  to  do 
that,  and  I  hope  never  to  be  so.  Receive 
again   my  most  cordial  benediction  ;  may  it 


276    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

descend  abundantly  upon  you,  your  fami- 
lies, and  upon  all  you  possess ;  may  it 
accompany  you  in  life,  and  open  to  you  the 
gates  of  a  blissful   eternity  !  "  * 

Referring  to  this  address,  a  correspondent 
of  another  journal  says  : 

"Without  doubt,  our  adversaries,  who  are 
those  of  the  Holy  Father,  will  say  that  we 
have  wished  to  make  a  contra-plcbiscite 
We,  with  a  condemnation  fresh  in  our  me- 
mory, do  not  desire  another,  f  But  neither 
the  Pisco  nor  we  can  prevent  history  from 
confronting  tranquilly  that  affair  of  Octo- 
ber 2d  (which  we  do  not  qualify  out  of 
respect  for  the  worthy  Pisco)  with  this 
free,  courageous,  irrefutable  vote,  attested 
by   the    original    signatures    of   27,161    Ro- 

*  Correspondence  of  the  New  York  Herald. 
\  He  refers  to  the  suppression  of  one  journal  and  the  fining 
of  another,  with  the  imprisonment  of  the  editor. 


The  Temporal  Pozver  of  the  Pope.     2JJ 

man  citizens,  all  of  age,  and  that  under 
the  incubus  of  the  government  which  we 
now  have,  and  at  a  time  when  half  of 
the  Romans,  and  those  of  the  better  class, 
are  absent  from  Rome.  The  Italian  govern- 
ment has  every  right,  or  at  least  every  need, 
of  holding  on  to  that  vote  of  October  2d, 
because  otherwise  they  would  have  no  other 
legitimate  reason  for  remaining  in  Rome 
than  the  guns  of  Cadorna  and  the  bombs 
of  Bixio. 

"The  defects  which  occurred  in  counting 
the  tickets  when  taken  out  of  the  urns, 
and  still  more  so  when  put  in ;  the  entire 
want  of  electoral  lists,  and  of  every  kind 
of  register ;  the  acuteness  of  those  who  made 
the  rounds  of  the  polls,  voting  even  1 2  times, 
are  in  fact  little  black  spots  {pujiti  neri) 
which  cannot  detract  from  the  majesty  of 
that  huge  number  of  40,000  Si  against  47 


278    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

miserable  No.  But  the  Italian  Government 
is  too  liberal  not  to  allow  us  also  to  make 
at  least  a  little  of  these  27,161  Romans, 
who  evidently  were  not  at  the  polls  on 
October  2d. 

"  But  they  will  say,  perhaps,  that  they 
were  there,  and  that  they  voted  Si !  Ah  ! 
such  a  supposition  would  be  so  injurious 
to  the  Italian  Government,  that  we  scarcely 
dare  to  speak  of  it.  Since,  then,  it  would 
be  necessary  to  say  that  27,161  out  of  those 
40,000,  having  tried  the  sweetness  (dolcezze) 
of  the  new  government,  have  changed  their 
minds ;  in  this  case,  to-day  there  would  be 
for  the  Vatican  27,000  Si,  and  for  the 
Qnirinal  only  13,000." 

With  these  facts  in  view,  we  can  con- 
fidently assert  that  the  argument  of  popular 
will  has  no  place  here,  and  cannot  honestly 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    279 

be  used.  The  invasion  of  the  Italian  army 
has  not  even  this  plea  in  its  favor,  and 
can  only  urge  might  against  right,  cove- 
tousness  and  rapine  against  the  order  of 
society  and  the  law  of  nations. 

3.  But  the  Italians,  it  is  said,  demanded 
a  national  unity,  and,  at  every  sacrifice,  they 
had  the  right  to  have  it.  Let  us  suppose 
that  the  majority  in  the  whole  peninsula 
wished  for  this  unity;  does  this  make  it 
just  that  they  should  trample  on  vested 
rights,  overturn  peaceful  kingdoms,  and, 
with  sword  and  flame,  devastate  principali- 
ties recognized  by  the  world  as  independent 
powers  ?  Is  such  a  principle  to  be  advo- 
cated by  honest  and  sincere  men,  as  one 
upon  which  nations  and  peoples  can  con- 
scientiously act  ?  As  all  writers  on  law 
confess,  nations  and  individuals  are  to  be 
governed   by    the   same   morality.       I    may 


280     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

covet  my  neighbor's  goods,  and  persuade 
myself  that  I  can  make  a  better  use  of 
them  than  he  does.  Does  this  permit  me 
to  take  them,  and  to  spoil  him  even  at 
the  cost  of  his  life?  If  an  individual  can- 
not do  this  without  putting  himself  under 
the  ban  of  society,  among  the  class  for 
whom  prisons  and  gibbets  are  erected ; 
neither  can  a  nation  do  it,  without  being 
an  outlaw  from  the  family  of  communities 
that  fear  God  and  respect  justice.  We 
hear  much  about  national  unity.  Tell  us 
what  it  is.  Is  it  a  geographical  matter, 
or  is  it  regulated  by  language  ?  The  map 
of  Europe  has  been  changed  many  times, 
and  can  be  changed  again.  And  will 
nations  consent  to  the  rule  of  unity  of  lan- 
guage ?  If  so,  how  many  kingdoms  will 
stand  ?  To  men  who  believe  in  God,  there 
is    a   right  and  a  wrong  in  all  these  ques- 


The  Tcmpo7'al  Power  of  the  Pope.    281 

tions.  Where  the  right  is,  there  is  the 
safety  of  the  world  ;  where  the  wrong  is, 
there  sooner  or  later  outraged  justice  will 
demand  retribution  with  interest.  By  vio- 
lence against  law,  a  nation  dies  its  own 
grave,  and  a  people  descends  to  that  ruin 
which  awaits  those  who,  undermining  the 
foundation  of  their  dwelling,  pull  down  the 
superstructure  upon  their  own  heads. 

As  we  have  shown,  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Roman  States,  who  had  the  right  to 
be  heard,  did  not  wish  for  an  Italian  unity 
which  drove  the  Vicar  of  Christ  from  his 
throne,  and  deprived  their  capital  of  its  chief 
glory  among  the  nations.  And  though  the 
tide  of  revolution  may  flow  rapidly  around 
them,  and  unscrupulous  masters  frighten 
the  good  into  silence,  and  even  commun- 
ism, the  legitimate  fruit  of  modern  diplo- 
macy,  lift   its    gory  head ;    they    will    never 


282     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

rest  in  the  Holy  City,  where  sleep  the  ashes 
sacred  to   Christianity,    until  the  beneficent 
hand   of  the    Father    of    the    faithful    shall., 
again   be    their   governor,    and   bring   back 
to  Rome  its  princely  diadem. 

We  have  little  to  say  in  conclusion,  for 
our  thoughts  have  been  all  expressed  during 
this  short  discussion. 

We  have  no  fear  for  the  church  of  God ; 
nor  will  the  injustice  of  which  we  have 
spoken  injure  her.  She  is  beyond  the 
reach  of  any  human  enemy.  Such  is  our 
faith,  and  such  is  the  experience  of  nine- 
teen centuries.  The  more  men  assail,  by 
word  or  by  violence,  the  household  of 
faith,  the  more  is  it  strengthened.  God's 
right  arm  is  never  to  be  paralyzed.  His 
patience  is  beyond  our  comprehension,  but 
he  still  ruleth  among  the  inhabitants  of 
earth,    and   is    Lord   of    lords.      Confessors 


The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope.    283 

and  martyrs  make  the  ever-new  life  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  When  many  fall, 
many  more  arise,  and  the  Creator's  hand 
can  "  from  the  stones  raise  up  children 
to  Abraham."  Let  no  one  imagine  that 
we  are  faint  of  heart,  when  the  Vicar  of 
Christ  ascends  his  Calvary,  and  gives  us 
an  example  of  heroic  union  with  his  Mas- 
ter. The  pulses  of  new  strength  beat 
through  the  mystical  body  of  the  Word 
Incarnate,  and  outward  pressure  binds  us 
together  to  suffer  or  to  do  for  the  sacred 
faith,  in  which  is  the  welfare  of  man.  We 
are  content  to  wait  till  the  storm  pass 
away,  and  the  noon  of  peaceful  victory 
shine  upon  our  time-hallowed  banners. 

But  we  do  fear  for  society,  and  for 
nations  that  look  on  and  approve,  while 
the  great  and  immutable  principles  of 
justice     are     trampled     on     and    despised. 


284     The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

When  men  forget  that  "  the  powers  that 
are,  are  ordained  of  God,"  and  are  "to 
be  obeyed  for  conscience'  sake ;"  when  king- 
doms applaud  acts  of  violence  which  break 
the  laws  of  nature  and  of  society;  what 
shall  be  the  future  ?  How  long  shall  stand 
the  dynasties  of  Europe,  that  thus  forget 
the  obligations  of  morality,  and  enter  no 
protest  till  their  own  turn  comes,  and  the 
destroyer  is  at  their   doors  ? 

For  our  own  beloved  land,  to  whose  in- 
stitutions our  heart  is  bound,  and  to  whose, 
true  welfare  our  life  is  gladly  devoted ; 
where  can  we  seek  perseverance  in  her 
career  of  prosperity,  and  permanence  in 
her  liberties,  if  not  in  the  law  of  God  as 
made  known  to  us  by  revelation  ?  Even 
upon  the  broad  plane  whereon  we  stand, 
there  are  dangers;  and  time  has  demon- 
strated that  a  republic  can  only  be  upheld 


The  Temporal  Poiver  of  the  Pope.      285 

by  the  virtue  and  morality  of  its  citizens. 
Let  God  be  supremely  worshipped,  and 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  only  Saviour, 
be  adored  in  all  the  light  which  his  incar- 
nation has  brought  to  man,  and  we  have 
no  fear.  The  fabric  of  our  hallowed  state 
will  rest,  where  alone  kingdoms  can  stand, 
on  the  imperishable  foundations  of  right 
and  truth. 

But  spread  abroad  the  modern  doctrines, 
that  liberty  is  license,  that  there  are  no 
restraints  to  popular  will,  that  nothing 
is  sacred  when  the  people  ask  its  destruc- 
tion, that  government  has  no  divine  power 
beneath  it  to  hold  it  up,  nor  above  it  to 
bless  it ;  and  when  shall  we  see  the  fruits 
of  such  a  seed-time,  the  harvest  of  desola- 
tion that  will  surely  come,  the  sad  autumn 
of  such  an  unholy  spring  ?  We  shall  see 
all,   when   self-interest  asks  for  greed,    and 


286    The  Temporal  Power  of  the  Pope. 

honesty  cannot  feed  the  thirst  for  wealth, 
when  our  neighbors'  goods  kindle  an  un- 
bridled avarice,  and  the  forms  of  law 
stand  in  the  way  of  rapine  and  rebellion. 
If  the  will  of  numbers  be  law  for  us,  with- 
out regard  to  right,  then  soon  our  day  of 
sorrow  may  come.  May  God  avert  from 
our  country  the  devastation  which  has 
crimsoned  in  blood  so  many  lands ;  and 
banish  from  our  people  this  "  new  gospel 
of  anarchy  and  revolution  "  !  Yet  the  cor- 
ruption of  liberty  is  license,  the  denial  of 
justice  is  the  denial  of  God.  If  we  respect 
not  the  rights  of  others,  neither  can  we 
defend  or  hold  our  own. 


Lecture  Fourth. 

THE    PONTIFICATE    OF   PIUS   IX. 

"  He  shone  in  his  days  as  the  morning  star  in  the  midst  of 
a  cloud,  and  as  the  moon  at  the  full.  And  as  the  sun  when  it 
shineth,  so  did  he  shine  in  the  temple  of  God." — Ecclesiasti- 
cus  xlix.  6,  7. 


E  are  to  close  our  brief  course  of 
lectures  upon  the  Vicar  of  Christ 
and  his  prerogatives,  by  a  short  notice  of 
the  great  Pontiff  who  now  rules  the  church, 
and  whose  reign  has  been  among  the 
most  remarkable  in  history.  This  will  be 
a  fitting  occasion  for  us  to  review  the 
events  which  have  crowded  together  in  such 
rapid  succession  during  his  pontificate,  and 
to  kindle  our  faith  anew  at  the  sight  of 
a  moral  grandeur  which  even  the  world 
must    admire.       God,    who    has    purchased 


288  The  Pontificate  of  Pitts  IX. 

the  church  with  his  own  blood,  is  ever 
responding  to  her  needs,  and  in  a  day 
so  active,  so  pregnant  with  mighty  move- 
ments for  good  or  evil,  has  given  to  her 
a  pastor  after  his  own  heart,  faithful  to 
his  great  work,  filled  with  his  Spirit,  and 
crowned  with  apostolic  zeal.  For  this  proof 
of  divine  love,  the  church  throughout  the 
world  has  many  times  given  thanks,  in 
recounting  the  great  acts  of  his  reign,  and 
especially  in  these  latter  days,  when,  for  the 
first  time,  the  successor  of  S.  Peter  has 
passed  the  years  of  the  great  apostle,  and, 
with  an  age  hallowed  by  wisdom  and  con- 
secrated by  suffering,  bears  the  chains  of 
his  predecessor. 

Brighter  even  than  the  noonday  is  the 
golden  sunset;  more  blessed  and  more 
sanctifying  the  lessons  of  the  unclouded 
evening,  peaceful  in  its  sorrow,  and  nearer 


The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX.         289 

to  God  as  the  shadows  deepen.  Well  may 
we  say  of  the  Holy  Father,  so  loved  by 
his  children :  "  He  shone  in  his  days  as 
the  morning  star  in  the  midst  of  a  cloud, 
and  as  the  sun  in  the  temple  of  God." 

Our  view  of  the  pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 
naturally  leads  us  to  sketch  the  principal 
facts  of  his  life,  and  then  to  consider  him 
in  the  various  offices  of  his  pastorship,  as 
a  civil  ruler,  as  the  governor  of  the  church, 
as  the  light  of  Christ  to  the  world,  as  doc- 
tor and  teacher  of  all  Christians,  and  as 
a  confessor  for  the  truth.  All  the  lessons 
we  have  learned  in  our  previous  confer- 
ences will  be  deeply  impressed  upon  our 
hearts  by  the  example  and  history  of  one 
to  whom  the  church  clings  with  singular 
affection  as  to  a  beloved  father.  Few  of 
his    children    have    seen    him    or    heard   his 


290  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

voice,  yet  throughout  the  wide  world  his 
name  is  venerated  as  the  dearest  next  to 
God.  And  even  among  those  who  are  not 
of  the  Catholic  fold,  there  are  many  who 
pay  tribute  to  the  nobility  of  his  character 
and  the  heroic  virtue  of  his  reign. 


1. 

Pius  IX.  (Giovanni  Maria  Mastai-Ferretti) 
was  born  in  Sinigaglia,  on  the  13th  of  May, 
1792,  of  the  Count  Jerome  and  the  Coun- 
tess Catherine  Solazzi.  In  his  eleventh 
year  he  was  placed  in  a  college  of  a  reli- 
gious order  in  Volterra,  and  in  1808  was 
sent  to  Rome  to  pursue  his  ecclesiastical 
studies.  During  the  French  occupation,  he 
retired  to  his  native  city,  but  returned  to 
the  capital  in  18 14,  and  was  among  those 
who  welcomed  Pius  VII.  on  his  triumphant 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         291 

reception  in  Rome.  After  a  course  of 
studies  at  the  academy,  he  received  Holy 
Orders  in  1818.  In  company  with  the 
apostolic  delegate,  Monsignor  Muzi,  he 
visited  Chili  in  1823,  and  passed  two  years 
at  Santiago,  employed  in  preaching  and 
instructing.  Returning  to  Rome  in  1825, 
he  was  appointed  by  Leo  XII.  to  the  rec- 
torship of  the  Hospital  of  S.  Michael.  The 
prudence  and  zeal  with  which  he  discharged 
the  heavy  duties  of  this  office  are  yet 
gratefully  remembered  by  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  that  remarkable  institution. 
After  twenty  months  of  labor  in  this  field, 
he  was  raised  by  the  same  Pontiff  to  the 
archiepiscopal  see  of  Spoleto.  Here,  enter- 
ing upon  his  office  with  the  charity  which 
had  distinguished  him,  he  founded  an  asylum 
for  orphans  modelled  after  the  plan  of  the 
one  over  which  he  had  previously  presided 


292  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX 

in  Rome.  During  the  civil  disturbances  of 
1 83 1,  his  kindness  induced  the  insurgents 
who  had  taken  refuge  at  Spoleto,  to  the 
number  of  four  thousand,  to  surrender  to 
the  Papal  authority ;  and  he  was  at  this 
time  entrusted  with  the  administration  of 
the  provinces  of  Spoleto  and  Perugia.  In 
January,  1832,  an  earthquake  laid  desolate 
a  great  portion  of  his  diocese,  thus  opening 
a  new  field  to  the  charity  and  self-denial 
of  the  Archbishop.  Everywhere  he  has- 
tened to  the  relief  of  the  most  distressed, 
especially  visiting  and  comforting  those  dis- 
tricts whose  inhabitants  were  almost  left 
without  shelter.  In  the  consistory  of  De- 
cember, 1832,  Gregory  XVI.  translated  him 
from  Spoleto  to  the  Episcopal  See  of  Imola, 
in  which  he  was  successor  to  Cardinal  Jus- 
tiniani.  In  this  see  he  was  raised  to  the 
Cardinalate,  being  reserved  in  petto  in   1839, 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         293 

and  proclaimed,  on  the  14th  of  December, 
1840,  Cardinal  Priest  of  SS.  Peter  and 
Marcellinus.  His  labors  in  this  diocese  have 
left  behind  them  many  fruits.  A  college 
for  ecclesiastical  students,  and  an  orphanage 
are  proofs  of  the  same  zeal  which  had  dis- 
tinguished his  priesthood.  But  in  these 
preparatory  steps  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  was  maturing  him  for  the  high 
office  he  was  destined  to  fill  in  the  most 
critical  days  of  Christianity.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  June,  1846,  he  received  the  in- 
telligence of  the  death  of  Gregory  XVI., 
and  at  once  proceeded  to  Rome.  On  the 
14th  of  June  the  conclave  of  Cardinals  was 
held,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  he 
was  unanimously  chosen  Pontiff,  and  pro- 
claimed on  the  morning  of  the  17th  under 
the  title  of  Pius  IX.  No  one  could  have 
anticipated    this    election,    and    he    least    of 


294  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

all.  Overcome  by  this  unexpected  eleva- 
tion, and  humbled  by  the  sense  of  the  great 
responsibilities  to  which  he  was  called,  he 
needed  the  support  of  his  brethren  at  that 
solemn  moment.  As  he  writes  to  the 
members  of  his  family :  "  The  blessed  God, 
who  exalts  and  humbles,  has  been  pleased 
to  raise  me  from  insignificance  to  the  most 
sublime  dignity  on  earth.  May  his  most 
holy  will  be  ever  done  !  I  am  sensible  to 
a  certain  extent  of  the  immense  weight  of  . 
such  a  charge,  and  I  also  feel  my  utter  in- 
capacity, not  to  say  the  entire  nullity  of 
my  powers.  Cause  prayers  to  be  offered, 
and  you,  also,  pray,  for  me." 

Since  this  day,  the  acts  of  Pius  IX.  are 
before  the  world,  and,  precious  as  they 
are  to  the  church,  they  are  also  among 
the  most  memorable  in  history. 

One   month    after   his    election,   July    16, 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         295 

he  published  an  amnesty  in  favor  of  all 
political  offenders,  on  the  sole  condition  of 
their  making-,  in  writing",  a  solemn  declara- 
tion, on  their  honor,  that  they  would  not, 
in  arty  manner  nor  at  any  time,  abuse 
this  grace,  but  would  for  the  future  fulfil 
the  duties  of  good  and  faithful  subjects. 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  Italians  at  this 
clemency  of  the  new  Pontiff  knew  no 
bounds.  "Vivas  rent  the  air;  blessings 
and  prayers  followed  his  steps ;  flowers 
were  cast  beneath  his  feet ;  and,  almost 
instinctively  forming  themselves  into  im- 
promptu processions,  they  proceeded  through 
the  streets  of  Rome,  with  music  and  ban- 
ners, to  pour  out,  before  the  palace  of 
their  sovereign,  a  joy  which  seemed  to 
have  no  limit.  And  the  solid  earth  seemed 
to  rock,  and  the  very  heavens  to  tremble, 
as    peal    after    peal    of    wild    and    frenzied 


296  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

cheering  burst  from  mighty  masses  of 
the  populace,  when,  yielding  repeatedly 
to  the  fond  importunity  of  his  subjects, 
the  Pope  came  forth  on  the  balcony  of 
the  Ouirinal,  and,  with  graceful  gesture, 
imparted  to  them  the  apostolic  benedic- 
tion." *  The  amnesty  granted  by  Pius 
IX.  was  followed  by  the  most  energetic 
endeavors  on  his  part  to  popularize  his 
government,  as  far  as  consistent  with  pub- 
lic safety.  He  applied  himself  with  great 
diligence  to  improving  the  administration, 
lowering  the  taxes,  opening  offices  under 
the  state  to  laymen,  granting  concessions 
for  railroads  and  public  improvements,  and 
stimulating  manufactures  and  agriculture. 
A  thorough  visitation  was  also  made  of 
the  hospitals,  and  no  effort  neglected  to 
improve    the   condition    of    the    poor    and 

*  Rome  and  its  Ruler.     By  J.  F.  Maguire. 


The  Pontificate  of  Puis  IX.         297 

suffering.  While  the  generous  Pontiff  was 
at  work,  thus  striving  to  ameliorate  the 
different  classes  of  society,  and  remedy 
every  defect  complained  of,  the  leaders 
of  revolution  were  more  active  than  ever. 
They  aimed  not  at  reforms,  but  at  destruc- 
tion.  Honor  and  oaths  were  in  no  way 
sacred  to  them.  Receiving  the  pardon  of 
their  sovereign,  they  at  once  used  it  to 
plot  against  the  state  and  his  life.  The 
hatred  of  the  Catholic  Church,  as  the  great 
conservative  power  on  earth,  was  the  animus 
of  all  their  schemes,  and  no  step  was  too 
hazardous  or  too  immoral  to  be  adopted. 
Difficulties  attended  the  Pope  on  every 
hand.  Surrounding  governments  were 
jealous  of  his  movements,  and  even  his 
own  advisers  had  reason  to  fear  that  the 
Roman  people  were  not  ready  for  the 
liberties   he  was   disposed    to    accord  them. 


298  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

In  June,  1847,  Cardinal  Gizzi  published 
a  proclamation  which  fully  disclosed  the 
intentions  and  designs  of  his  Holiness.  It 
declared  that  "  the  Holy  Father  was  firmly 
resolved  to  pursue  the  course  of  amelio- 
ration in  every  branch  of  the  public  ad- 
ministration which  may  require  it,  but  he 
is  equally  resolved  to  do  this  only  in  a 
prudent  gradation,  and  within  the  limits 
which  belong  essentially  to  the  sovereignty 
and  the  temporal  government  of  the  head 
of  the  Catholic  Church ;  a  government 
which  cannot  adopt  certain  forms  which 
would  ruin,  or  at  least  diminish,  that  ex- 
ternal liberty,  that  independence  in  the 
exercise  of  the  supreme  primacy,  for  which 
God  willed  that  the  Holy  See  should  have 
a  temporal  principality." 

The    aesfressive    conduct   of   Austria    at 
this    time    added    to   the   difficulties  of  the 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         299 

Pope,  and  the  invasion  of  the  Papal  ter- 
ritory, under  the  pretext  of  protection,  still 
further  excited  the  already  uneasy  populace. 
In  November,  1847,  the  Council  of  State 
was  called  together,  and,  after  a  solemn 
opening,  commenced  its  labors  in  the  Va- 
tican palace.  This  Council  consisted  of 
deputies  chosen  from  the  different  provinces, 
who  were  to  assist  the  Holy  Father  with 
full  powers  of  legislation.  The  address 
made  by  this  body  on  its  first  session  has 
these  words:  "Amongst  us,  it  is  the  first 
and  most  venerable  authority  of  all,  which 
wishes  to  initiate  us  in  the  progress  of 
civilization.  That  authority  itself  directs 
the  minds  in  this  peaceable  and  moderate 
movement,  and  guides  us  towards  the  su- 
preme end,  which  is  the  reign  of  peace  and 
justice  on  earth."  The  spirit  of  revolution 
was  satisfied  with  no  such  consistent  policy ; 


300  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

it  demanded  concessions  which  no  sovereign 
could  safely  grant ;  and  the  commotions 
of  the  year  1848  soon  brought  matters  to 
a  crisis.  Crowds  rushed  to  the  Ouirinal, 
and  demanded  the  promised  constitution. 
Pius  IX.  fulfilled  his  word,  and  the  Roman 
parliament  was  opened  on  the  5th  of  June. 
The  storm  of  insurrection  had,  however, 
begun,  and  could  be  stayed  by  no  con- 
cessions. The  Italians  clamored  for  war 
against  Austria ;  and  the  Father  of  the 
faithful,  always  disposed  to  protect  his  own 
states,  could  not  proclaim  an  aggressive 
war  against  a  Christian  power.  He  pro- 
posed to  the  different  governments  a  com- 
mon national  league  for  mutual  defence. 
This  plan,  though  received  with  favor  by 
Naples  and  Tuscany,  was  defeated  princi- 
pally by  the  Sardinians,  whose  ambition 
had   other   designs.       We    are    all    familiar 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         301 

with  the  result  of  the  crisis.  Count  Rossi, 
whom  the  Holy  Father  had  called  to  the 
conduct  of  the  government,  commenced 
his  labors,  and  was  beginning  to  restore 
confidence  among  the  excited  people,  when 
he  was  dealt  with  by  the  dagger  of  the 
assassin.  This  act  of  violence  was  the 
signal  for  the  revolutionists,  to  begin  their 
work  in  earnest.  The  Pope  found  himself 
a  prisoner  in  his  own  palace,  surrounded 
by  an  infuriated  rabble,  who  clamored  for 
blood,  and  menaced  his  life.  In  the  midst 
of  this  scene,  when  the  very  people,  who 
had  thrown  flowers  beneath  his  feet,  be- 
sieged the  Quirinal,  his  calm  trust  in  God 
never  forsook  him.  Flight  was  the  only 
course  left,  for  the  mere  body-guard  of 
Swiss  soldiers  were  wholly  insufficient  to 
defend  his  sacred  person.  On  the  24th 
of  November,    he   escaped,    disguised  as  a 


302  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

simple  priest,  in  the  carriage  of  the  Ba- 
varian minister.  Arriving,  after  a  day's 
journey,  at  Gaeta,  he  was  at  once  visited 
by  the  King  and  Queen  of  Naples,  and 
induced  by  them  to  remain,  and  abandon 
his  original  intention  of  accepting  the 
hospitality  of  Spain.  In  this  his  exile, 
the  Holy  Father  had  the  consolation  to 
receive  the  warmest  assurances  of  attach- 
ment and  sympathy  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  One  of  his  first  acts  at  Gaeta  was 
to  issue  his  protest  against  the  revolution 
at  Rome;  and  on  February  18,  1849,  he 
called  upon  the  Catholic  powers  for  their 
armed  assistance.  Their  response  to  this 
call  is  well  known.  On  April  25th,  a  French 
force  landed  at  Civita  Vecchia,  and  march- 
ed upon  Rome,  while  the  Austrians  ad- 
vanced upon  the  northern  provinces,  and 
the    Spaniards    invaded    the    southern   por- 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         303 

tion  of  the  Papal  territory.  The  revolu- 
tionists, overcome  by  the  French  arms, 
capitulated  on  July  1st,  and  a  commission, 
appointed  by  the  Pope,  undertook  the 
affairs  of  Qfovernment.  The  condition  of 
Rome  during-  its  occupation  by  the  so- 
called  republican  leaders  is  aptly  described 
in  the  appeal  of  Pius  IX.,  which  is  part 
of  the  documentary  history  of  the  time. 
His  language  is  mild,  compared  with  that  of 
others  who  have  portrayed  the  sad  scenes 
which  took  place  in  the  Eternal  City : 
"After  the  most  iniquitois  malversations  to 
reward  their  accomplices,  and  get  rid  of 
honest  and  God-fearing  men  ;  after  so  many 
assassinations  committed  under  their  guid- 
ance ;  after  having  let  loose  rebellion,  im- 
morality, and  irreligion ;  after  having  se- 
duced the  imprudent  youths,  desecrating 
even  the  places  consecrated  to  public  wor- 


304  The  Pontificate  of  Puis  IX 

ship,  by  converting  them  into  dens  of  most 
licentious  soldiery,  formed  of  runaways  and 
criminals  from  foreign  countries,  the  anar- 
chists wished  to  reduce  the  capital  of  the 
Catholic  world,  the  See  of  the  Pontiff,  to 
a  sink  of  impiety,  destroying,  if  they  could, 
all  idea  of  sovereignty  for  him  who  is 
destined  by  Providence  to  govern  the  uni- 
versal church." 

The  Pope  did  not  return  to  his  capital 
until  April  6,  1850,  having  previously 
granted  a  partial  amnesty,  and  established 
a  Council  of  State.  The  manifestations  of 
joy  which  greeted  his  return  were  as  hearty 
as  those  which  welcomed  the  first  years  of 
his  pontificate.  Every  good  citizen  exulted 
in  the  re  establishment  of  a  government  in 
which  there  was  protection  for  life,  and 
security  of  order.  From  his  departure  from 
Portici,   on  the  4th  of  April,   to  his   arrival 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         305 

in  the  great  square  of  the  Lateran,  his 
journey  was  one  continuous  triumphal  pro- 
cession. The  glad  Te  Deum  which  filled 
the  dome  of  S.  Peter's  was  echoed  in  every 
part  of  the  Christian  world. 

In  his  exile  at  Gaeta,  Pius  IX.  had  pre- 
pared the  way  for  one  of  the  grandest  events 
in  the  history  of  the  church.  Having  pro- 
posed to  define  as  an  article  of  faith  the 
Immaculate  Conception  of  the  ever  blessed 
Virgin,  he  addressed  letters  to  all  patriarchs 
and  bishops,  requesting  their  views  as  to 
the  doctrine,  and  the  testimony  of  belief 
in  their  dioceses.  The  unanimous  consent 
of  nearly  the  whole  Catholic  Episcopate 
came  to  cheer  the  heart  of  the  illustrious 
exile,  and  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost  did 
not  fail  the  Vicar  of  Christ.  The  solemn 
definition  took  place  with  great  pomp  in 
the  basilica  of  S.  Peter,  in  the  presence  of 


306  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

more  than   three  hundred    archbishops   and 
bishops  from  all  parts  of  the  earth,  on  the 
festival    of    the    Conception,    December    8,* 
1854. 

Many  as  have  been  the  singular  glories 
of  this  pontificate,  it  has  no  brighter  splen- 
dor than  this  definition.  Sainted  Pontiffs 
had  confessed  and  guarded  this  doctrine,  so 
dear  to  all  lovers  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  to 
Pius  IX.  was  reserved  the  immortal  honor 
of  placing  this  crown  upon  the  head  of 
the  best  and  purest  of  all  creatures.  The 
world  will  never  forget  that  moment  when, 
standing  by  the  tomb  of  S.  Peter,  sur- 
rounded by  the  Cardinals  of  the  Roman 
Church,  and  prelates  from  every  nation, 
he  spoke  these  immortal  words :  "  To 
the  honor  of  the  holy  and  undivided  Tri- 
nity, to  the  glory  of  the  Virgin  Mother  of 
God,  to  the  exaltation  of  the  Catholic  faith, 


The  Po7itificate  of  Puis  IX.         307 

and  the  increase  of  the  Christian  religion, 
by  the  authority  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
committed  to  us,  under  the  protection  of 
the  blessed  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  we 
pronounce  and  define  that  the  doctrine 
which  declares  that  the  most  blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  in  the  first  instant  of  her 
conception,  by  the  singular  grace  and  pri- 
vilege of  the  omnipotent  God,  through  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  the 
human  race,  was  preserved  free  from  all 
stain  of  original  sin,  is  a  doctrine  divinely 
revealed,  and  therefore  firmly  and  constant- 
ly to  be  held  by  all  the  faithful." 

Time  would  fail  us  to  tell  the  many 
ecclesiastical  events  which  since  this  day 
have  rendered  famous  this  great  Pontiff. 
Amid  universal  civil  troubles,  new  hier- 
archies and  new  sees  have  risen  up  under 
his    hand,    and    no    part    of    the    Christian 


308  The  Pontificate  of  Puis  IX. 

world  has  been  untouched  by  his  solicitude. 
Thrice  have  the  bishops  of  the  church 
gathered  around  his  episcopal  throne ;  twice 
by  the  intimation  of  his  wish,  and  once  by 
the  solemn  call  to  a  General  Council.  On 
the  ioth  of  June,  1862,  the  canonization 
of  the  Martyrs  of  Japan  brought  the  Catholic 
prelates  to  the  tomb  of  the  apostles  to 
renew  their  devotion  to  the  See  of  Peter, 
and  to  be  quickened  with  its  words  of 
wisdom. 

The  centenary  of  the  Prince  of  the 
Apostles  was  another  glorious  event  of  this 
pontificate.  Five  hundred  bishops,  from 
north  and  south,  east  and  west,  were  as- 
sembled together  in  the  great  basilica  of 
the  world,  to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of 
his  martyrdom,  eighteen  hundred  years  be- 
fore. That  wonderful  exhibition  of  the 
church's    unity   seemed    to    gather   together 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         309 

both  time  and  space,  and,  in  the  allocution 
of  June  26,  1867,  to  cause  the  voice  of 
Peter  to  sound  again,-  confirming  his  bre- 
thren, and  bidding  them  put  on  the  whole 
armor  of  God  in  the  evil  day  which  threa- 
tens faith  and  justice,  and  the  very  foun- 
dations of  society. 

And,  lastly,  the  reign  of  Pius  IX.  has 
been  made  glorious  by  the  (Ecumenical 
Council  of  the  Vatican,  and  its  ever-me- 
morable decrees  concerning  faith,  the  church 
of  Christ,  and  the  prerogatives  of  the 
Roman  Pontiff.  It  is  known  to  him  alone 
who  rules  the  winds  and  waves,  though 
he  seems  to  sleep  in  Peter's  boat,  when 
this  great  Council,  now  prorogued,  shall 
again  renew  its  labors.  But  to  Pius  IX. 
does  the  earth  owe  its  debt  of  gratitude 
for  the  words  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has 
spoken    through   this    Synod ;    words  which 


310  The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX. 

reach  the  wants  of  the  age,  and  touch  with 
a  divine  hand  the  evils  of  our  generation. 
For  such  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  spouse 
of  Jesus  Christ  may  be  content  to  follow 
her  Lord  into  the  shades  of  Gethsemani, 
and  see  her  Pastor  with  his  crown  of 
thorns. 

In  the  midst  of  toils  like  these,  the  Holy 
Father  has  fought  his  good  fight  of  faith ; 
never  ceasing  to  reprove  error,  and  con- 
tend for  truth  and  justice.  And  all  the 
time  the  burden  of  sorrow  has  been  upon 
him ;  the  world  has  arrayed  itself  against 
him,  and  the  wounds  of  ungrateful  children 
have  been  in  his  heart. 

His  return  to  Rome  from  exile,  with  all 
its  signs  of  triumph,  was  a  return  to  new 
crosses  and  sufferings.  The  experience 
which  he  had  tried  of  popular  government 
led   him    to    act   with    greater    caution,    but 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         31 1 

no  less  desire  to  improve  in  every  just 
way  the  condition  of  his  subjects.  As  he 
declares  in  his  Encyclical  of  June  4,  187 1  : 
"  So  soon  as  by  the  united  care  and  prowess 
of  Catholic  peoples  and  princes  we  were 
restored  to  this  our  see,  forthwith  we  used 
all  our  power  to  the  increasing  and  har- 
monizing-, for  our  faithful  subjects,  of  that 
solid  and  true  prosperity  that  we  have 
ever  recognized  as  the  most  weighty  of  the 
duties   of  our  civil  sovereignty."  * 

These  intentions  would  have  been  ful- 
filled but  for  the  constant  movement  of 
revolution  in  the  peninsula,  which  has  dis- 
turbed all  the  Italian  States.  The  French 
army  remained  with  the  Holy  Father  to 
protect  a  portion  of  his  territory,  including 
the  city  of  Rome,  from  the  dangers  which 
menaced  it  from  without.     Tranquillity  thus 

*  See  "  Appendix." 


312  The  Pontificate  of  Pitts  IX. 

reigned  until  the  war  of  1859,  declared  by 
France  and  Sardinia  against  Austria.  The 
provinces  of  the  Romagna  then  revolted 
from  the  Papal  authority,  and,  by  previous 
arrangement,  were  incorporated  into  the 
kingdom  of  Piedmont.  Forgetting:  all  the 
antecedents  of  his  family,  and  unworthy  of 
the  heritage  of  the  faith  left  to  him,  Victor 
Emanuel  has  been  carried  by  the  hand  of 
revolution  to  the  crown  of  Italy,  and  to 
the  conquests  of  rebellion.  In  a  former 
lecture  we  have  glanced  at  this  history 
and   its  lessons,   which   are   not  yet  ended. 

Pius  IX.  has  been  the  most  popular  of 
princes ;  then  an  exile ;  then  restored  to  his 
throne,  has  seen  his  states  one  by  one 
wrested  from  him,  until  now  he  is  a  pri- 
soner, deprived  of  his  temporal  authority, 
and  bound  with  the  chains  of  Peter,  with 
only  the  tomb  of  his  great  predecessor  for 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         3 1 3 

his  resting-place.  How  long  the  great 
temple  may  be  left  to  him,  God  only 
knows.  Yet  among  his  many  sorrows 
there  have  been  many  consolations.  The 
singular  love  of  the  Catholic  world,  and  a 
more  than  wonted  unity  around  his  sacred 
person,  are  the  solace  of  his  great  crosses. 
And  to  him  alone  of  all  the  line  of  Pontiffs 
has  God  given  to  pass  the  years  of  Peter, 
and  to  distinguish  by  length  of  days  a 
reign  so  illustrious  by  contests  with  evil 
under  every  form,  and  examples  of  heroic 
virtue.  This  particular  providence  of  the 
great  Head  of  the  church  has  seemed  to 
mark  with  new  blessing  a  life  so  precious 
to  faith,  and,  in  the  midst  of  affliction,  has 
given  birth  to  new  confidence  and  hope. 
For  the  Lord  hath  in  his  hands  alone  the 
issues  of  life  and  death,  and  he  whose  Vi- 
car the  world  rejoices  to  spoil   is  the  sove- 


314  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

reign  judge  of  heaven  and  earth.  In  his 
beautiful  letter  of  August  5,  the  Holy 
Father  gathers  for  himself  and  his  children 
the  consolations  of  this  evidence  of  divine 
favor :  "  Now,  when  an  event  has  come 
to  pass  that  has  been  unknown  since  the 
days  of  S.  Peter,  and  unexampled  in  the 
whole  list  of  Roman  Pontiffs,  that  we  have 
reached  the  beginning  of  the  twenty-sixth 
year  of  our  apostolic  ministry  in  the  Ro- 
man See,  you  have  shown  your  gladness 
for  this  great  favor  bestowed  on  our  un- 
worthiness,  and  have  so  clearly  proved  that 
the  whole  family  of  the  faithful  are  instinct 
with  the  most  vigorous  life,  that  we  have 
been  deeply  moved  by  your  piety.  So  it  is 
that  we  join  our  prayers  to  yours,  and  take 
courage  anew  to  hope  and  confidently  await 
a  full  and  finished  triumph  of  the  church."* 

*See  "Appendix." 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         3 1 5 

II. 

This  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  Pius  IX. 
will  enable  us  to  seize  at  a  glance  the 
principal  events  of  his  pontificate,  and  to 
make  up  our  summary  of  the  virtues  which 
will  ever  render  illustrious  his  high  char- 
acter. 

As  a  civil  ruler,  he  has  been  distin- 
guished for  paternal  affection  for  all  classes 
of  his  subjects,  and  the  most  sincere  desire 
to  improve  their  condition.  No  accusation 
has  ever  been  made  against  his  temporal 
administration,  and  no  fault  found  with  his 
government.  To  his  own  injury  has  he 
been  indulgent  to  criminal  offenders  against 
the  peace  of  society,  granting  pardon  to 
those  who  only  sought  opportunity  to  re- 
new their  rebellion.  The  Vicar  of  Jesus 
Christ  cannot  forget  the  mercy  of  the  Mas- 


3 1 6  The  Pontificate  of  Puis  IX. 

ter  whom  he  represents,  and  so  suffers  for 
his  kindness.  Every  right  demanded  by 
good  citizens  has  been  secured  without 
many  of  the  burdens  imposed  in  other 
states.*  His  attempts  to  popularize  the 
government,  and  to  establish  a  parliament 
in  Rome  with  all  powers  of  legislation,  are 
an  evidence  of  his  disposition  towards  his 
people.  How  these  intentions  were  thwarted 
by  designing  men  within  the  Papal  States 
and  enemies  without,  the  world  well  knows. 
Had  he  been  willing  to  put  himself  upon 
the  wave  of  the  revolution,  he  might  have 
counteracted  the  ambitious  designs  of  Pied- 
mont. But  to  plot  against  other  friendly 
kingdoms,  to  steal  territory  by  force,  and 
sanction  the  theft  by  a  plebiscite,  to  make 
offensive  war;  these  lessons  of  modern 
diplomacy    have    not    been    learned   by  the 

*  See  Encyclical  of  September  iS,  1871,  in  "  Appendix." 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         317 

chief  Pastor  of  the  Christian  church.  Italy 
could  have  enjoyed  perfect  peace  if  the 
plans  proposed  by  the  Holy  Father  had 
been  accepted ;  and  the  principles  of  justice 
and  reliofion  would  not  have  been  sacri- 
ficed.  That  he  failed  in  just  proposals  for 
reform,  was  no  fault  of  the  wisdom  that 
sought  to  benefit  his  age  and  nation,  but 
because  the  leaders  of  rebellion  willed 
destruction,  and  would  accept  nothing  less 
than  the  Utopian  republic.  Does  the  miser- 
able King  of  Italy  think  that  these  leaders 
are  yet  satisfied,  or  that  the  throne  he  has 
usurped  stands  upon  stable  foundations  ? 
The  day  of  retribution  will  surely  come, 
and  long  before  that  day,  the  people  of 
Rome  will  sigh  after  the  privileges  and 
glories  they  enjoyed  under  the  Papal  so- 
vereignty. 

We   have   already  noticed   the  charity  of 


3 18  The  Pontificate  of  Pitts  IX. 

Pius  IX.  in  providing  for  the  wants  of  the 
poor  and  suffering,  in  personally  visiting 
the  sick  and  ministering  to  their  relief.  To 
instruct  the  young,  to  reform  the  vicious, 
to  protect  the  widow  and  orphan,  to  shield 
old  age  from  want,  to  encourage  industry, 
to  reform  abuses,  and  to  kindle  anew  the 
spirit  of  religion,  these  have  been  his  prin- 
cipal cares.  No  sovereign  in  Europe  is  so 
easily  approached,  and  there  is  not  one 
who  so  fully  realizes  that  the  prince  should 
be  the  father  of  his  people.  The  same 
spirit  of  love  for  man  prompts  to  the  care- 
ful education  of  the  youth,  and  has  led  to 
that  thorough  and  complete  system  which 
distinguishes  the  Holy  City,  and  renders  it 
a  model  for  other  capitals.  From  the  pri- 
mary day-school  to  the  university  and  ec- 
clesiastical seminary,  nothing  has  escaped 
the    vigilance   of   the    Holy    Father.       Two 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         319 

seminaries  founded  by  him  bear  his  illus- 
trious name,  one  providing  for  the  most 
deserving  students  of  the  Papal  States,  and 
another  ior  converts  to  the  faith,  especially 
among  those  speaking  the  English  tongue. 
With  all  this  solicitude  for  the  higher  in- 
terests of  his  children,  he  has  been  eminent 
for  the  care  he  has  bestowed  upon  art,  and 
for  the  zealous  encouragement  he  has  given 
to  artists  and  the  studies  to  which  they  are 
devoted.  Not  only  Christian,  but  even  pa- 
gan antiquity  has  received  his  constant 
attention,  and  everywhere  the  museums 
and  galleries  of  Rome  bear  witness  to  his 
munificence.  The  restoration  of  the  church 
of  S.  Aornes  and  of  the  basilica  of  S.  Paul 
have  been  among  the  memorable  works  of 
his  reien.  The  former  task  was  one  of 
special  gratitude  to  God  for  his  own  pre- 
servation from  death,  while  the  latter  is  the 


320  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

completion,  after  many  years  of  labor,  of 
a  temple  which  has  no  rival  in  modern 
days.  Let  novices  prate  of  their  skill,  and 
tyros  call  in  question  the  cultivation  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  but  let  them  confess  that 
Rome,  with  all  its  past  glories,  is  now,  as 
ever,  the  home  of  painting,  and  sculpture, 
and  architecture.  Let  him  who  doubts,  but 
kneel  once  in  this  magnificent  basilica,  ex- 
pressing the  very  soul  of  beauty  so  won- 
derfully, that  one  might  imagine  himself 
away  from  earth,  and  in  the  antechamber 
of  the  celestial  city,  with  its  walls  of  pre- 
cious stones  and  its  gates  of  pearl. 

Yet  what  of  art  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, if  there  are  no  railroads  and  lines  of 
magnetic  telegraph  ?  The  world  has  been 
made  to  believe  that  these  modern  im- 
provements could  receive  no  favor  in  the 
home  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  with  the  gar- 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         321 

ments  of  the  unchangeable  church  around 
him.  Yet  has  Pius  IX.  been  the  patron 
of  all  these  improvements,  which  are  now 
everywhere  to  be  found  in  the  Papal  States, 
connecting  the  great  centres  of  travel,  and 
facilitating  communication  of  thought  and 
feelinof.  The  Romans  are  not  a  commer- 
cial  people,  and  yet,  to  the  increase  of  their 
commerce  and  the  activity  of  trade,  the 
Holy  Pontiff  has  devoted  many  labors  since 
his  accession  to  the  throne.  It  has  also 
been  often  said  that  the  whole  government, 
being  placed  in  the  hands  of  ecclesiastics, 
could  not  necessarily  advance  with  the 
march  of  modern  progress.  What  if  it  be 
true  that  not  one-fifth  of  the  Roman  offi- 
cials are  in  sacred  orders,  and  that  laymen 
are  better  represented  in  the  public  works 
than  in  almost  any  other  state  in  Europe  ? 
In  these  departments,  the  care  of  the  Pope 


322  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

for  the  happiness  of  his  subjects  has  been 
seen,  and  it  is  to  their  honor  that,  when 
the  invader  came,  scarcely  any  would  hold 
office  under  an  usurper  whom  the  world 
has  learned  to  call  the  robber-king-. 

in. 

If  the  administration  ot  our  great  Pon- 
tiff has  been  distinguished  by  unwonted 
wisdom  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
his  temporal  principality,  much  more  is  it 
remarkable  in  the  wider  sphere  of  his  go- 
vernment of  the  universal  church.  Here 
we  may  quote  from  the  language  of  the 
five  hundred  bishops  who  joined  in  the 
great  celebration  of  the  centenary  of  S. 
Peter:  »We  admire  and  rejoice  over  the 
heroic  courage  with  which  you  have  op- 
posed   this    world's    pernicious   stratagems, 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         323 

and  your  efforts  to  keep  the  Lord's  flock 
in  the  way  of  salvation,  to  guard  it  from 
the  seductions  of  error,  and  defend  it  against 
the  force  of  the  powerful  and  the  subtlety 
of  the  falsely  wise.  We  admire  that  zeal 
which  knows  no  weariness,  with  which, 
embracing  in  your  apostolic  care  the 
peoples  of  the  East  and  West,  you  have 
never  ceased  to  provide  for  the  good  of 
the  universal  church.  We  admire  the  noble 
spectacle  of  the  good  shepherd  which  you 
afford  to  the  race  of  mankind,  that  is 
plunging  deeper  into  evil  day  by  day ; 
one  which  strikes  the  minds  of  the  very 
enemies  of  the  truth,  and  arrests  even 
unwilling  eyes  by  its  intrinsic  excellence 
and  dignity."  These  words  are  the  tribute 
of  the  Catholic  Episcopate  to  their  head, 
and  faintly  portray  the  depth  of  that  so- 
licitude which  has  from  the   first  surveyed, 


3  24         The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

and  yearned  to  supply  the  wants  of  the 
flock  of  Christ.  See  after  see  in  all  parts 
of  the  world  has  arisen  from  his  hand. 
The  suffering:  churches  of  the  East  have 
been  quickened  into  new  life  by  apostolic 
care.  England  owes  to  him  the  new 
hierarchy  which  shall  replace  the  depart- 
ed glories  of  Canterbury  and  York.  Our 
own  country  has  ever  been  the  object  of 
his  fostering  care,  in  the  establishment  of 
the  American  seminary  in  the  Eternal  City, 
in  the  erection  of  new  dioceses  and  pro- 
vinces, and  in  the  blessing  which  has 
attended  the  works  of  religion  in  the 
New  World.  His  counsels  have  given  a 
new  impulse  to  the  great  cause  of  Christian 
education,  and  schools  and  colleges  found- 
ed on  principles  of  faith  are  the  fruit  of 
his  fatherly  advice.  It  has  been  a  day 
of  clouds  and   storms,   of  changes   and   re- 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         325 

volutions,  yet  in  all  vicissitudes  Jesus  Christ 
has  been  very  near  to  his  Vicar,  and 
has  drawn  to  him  the  hearts  of  the  whole 
flock.  At  no  time  have  bishops,  priests, 
and  people  been  more  closely  bound  to 
the  centre  of  Christian  unity.  Never  has 
the  church  been  more  completely  one 
body,  movinQf  with  one  will.  The  words 
of  a  Protestant  writer  are  more  true  in 
these  sad  days  than  when  they  were  writ- 
ten of  the  exile  at  Gaeta:  "It  is  a  matter 
of  history  that,  in  the  very  hour  of  his 
flight  and  his  fall,  Pius  IX.  was,  and  is,  more 
entirely  Pope  and  head  of  the  Latin  church 
than  many  hundreds  of  his  predecessors 
have  been,  amidst  all  the  splendor  of  the 
Lateran.  Personally,  he  has  exhibited  to 
the  world  no  common  share  of  evangelical 
virtue ;  and  though  his  political  abilities 
proved  inadequate  to  execute  the  moderate 


?26  The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX. 


o 


reforms  he  had  entered  upon,  from  the 
unworthiness  of  his  subjects  and  the  in- 
felicities of  these  times,  yet  the  apparition 
of  so  benignant  and  conscientious  a  man 
upon  the  Papal  throne,  in  the  midst  of 
the  turmoil  of  Europe,  has  forcibly  struck 
the  imagination,  and  won  the  affection  of 
the  whole  Roman  Catholic  population  of 
Europe.  Accordingly,  at  a  crisis,  when 
every  other  constituted  power  has  been 
more  or  less  shaken,  and  every  other  in- 
stitution tried,  the  Romish  hierarchy  has, 
in  all  countries  where  it  exists,  extended 
its  influence,  and  more  displayed  its  power."  * 

So  says  a  writer  in  a  leading  American 
journal,  on  the  occasion  of  the  late  jubilee : 

"  It  is  plainly  impossible  to  compress 
into  the  columns  of  a  newspaper  the  his- 
tory of  a  papal  reign  so  important  in  events 

*  London   Times. 


The  Pontificate  of  Puis  IX.         327 

as  that  of  Pio  Nono.  An  estimate  of  his 
character  as  a  spiritual  and  temporal  ruler 
will  vary  according  to  the  standpoint  from 
which  it  is  made ;  but  those  of  his  own 
church  who  have  studied  the  history  of 
his  reign  with  the  deepest  attention,  see 
in  him  one  of  the  greatest  rulers  of  the 
church.  Certainly  no  reign  has  been  sig- 
nalized by  greater  events.  Twice  the  re- 
volution has  held  possession  of  Rome. 
Once  it  obliged  him  to  fly,  but  this  second 
time  he  has  held  his  own.  Yet  no  Catho- 
lic regards  him  as  free  to  cross  the  thresh- 
old of  his  Vatican  prison,  save  at  the 
risk  of  insult  or  personal  violence.  Twice 
he  has  been  called  on  to  define  new  ar- 
ticles of  the  Catholic  faith.  Four  times 
has  he  called  around  him  the  bishops  of 
the  earth,  once  to  hold  an  CEcumenical 
Council.     Under  his  prudent  and  firm  rule 


328  The  Pontificate  of  Pi7is  IX. 

the  Catholic  Church  has  made  such  pro- 
gress as  no  century  since  Constantino  can 
boast  of;  and,  though  Pio  Nono  may  not 
to-day  be  temporal  ruler  of  Rome,  he 
governs  more  strongly  than  ever  Pope  of 
Rome  ruled  the  Catholic  millions  of  every 
nation  of  civilization.  And  it  is  not  those 
merely  of  his  own  fold  whose  affections 
he  has  won.  There  are  few  who  know 
the  character  and  history  of  this  grand 
old  man  who  do  not  feel  for  him  a  respect- 
ful reverence,  even  if  they  cannot  accord 
him  the  love  and  obedience  which  belong 
to  a  father  and  spiritual  chief."  * 

Thus,  from  the  height  of  his  supreme 
pastorship  has  Pius  IX.  been  the  light  to 
the  world,  and  to  all  whom  Christ  has  re- 
deemed. The  beams  which  have  come 
from  his  apostolic   throne    have    penetrated 

*  New  York    World. 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         329 

every  darkness  in  the  regions  of  heresy 
and  schism.  No  sooner  was  he  elevated 
to  the  See  of  Peter  than  he  turned  with 
paternal  affection  to  the  separated  and  de- 
caying churches  of  the  East,  whose  candles 
shone  so  brightly  in  the  early  day.  By 
every  act  which  solicitude  for  souls  would 
prompt,  he  has  sought  to  recall  them  to 
the  centre  of  life,  and  to  renew  the  union 
so  hopefully  made  at  the  Council  of  Flor- 
ence. His  prayers  and  labors  have  not 
been,  we  believe,  altogether  without  effect. 
The  great  Synod  of  the  Vatican  has  been, 
unhappily,  for  a  time  interrupted.  A  large 
portion  of  its  labors  were  to  have  been 
devoted  to  the  affairs  of  the  East,  and 
the  congelations  had  besom  their  work. 
The  letter  of  the  Holy  Father  to  the  schis- 
matical  bishops  expresses  the  spirit  of  his 
reign  towards  them,  and  his  earnest  desire 


330  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

to  fulfil  his  apostolic  office  in  their  regard. 
"With  all  our  strength,  we  pray  you,  we 
urge  you,  to  come  to  this  General  Council,! 
as  your  ancestors  came  to  the  Councils 
of  Lyons  and  Florence,  in  order  to  renew 
union  and  peace.  Let  the  old  laws  of  love 
be  re-established,  and  let  the  peace  of  our 
fathers,  that  salutary  and  heavenly  gift  of 
Christ,  which  for  so  long  a  time  has  dis- 
appeared, be  firmly  renewed,  that  the  pure 
light  of  this  long-desired  union  may  ap- 
pear to  all,  after  the  clouds  of  such  a 
wearisome  sorrow,  and  the  sombre  and 
sad  obscurity  of  such  long  dissensions."  * 

Nor  has  the  Vicar  of  Christ  forgotten 
the  souls  who,  through  false  education  or 
ignorance,  have  been  estranged  from  the 
one  faith.  The  work  of  conversion  has, 
by   the   divine   Providence,    received  a   new 

*  Letter  of  Pius  IX.,  Sept.  8,  1868. 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         331 

impulse  through  the  zeal  and  graces  of 
his  pontificate.  From  nations  long  es- 
tranged, the  true  and  sincere  of  every  rank 
in  life  are  hurrying  to  the  fold  of  the  one 
Shepherd,  thankful  to  lay  aside  their  doubts 
and  fears  in  the  only  home  of  the  soul, 
where  God's  voice  in  revelation  is  clearly 
heard.  In  this  great  work  of  restoring- 
the  wanderer  and  enlightening  tjie  jo-n0rant, 
the  Holy  Father  has,  by  word  and  act, 
shown  the  deepest  interest,  thus  following 
the  steps  of  his  Master,  who  came  to 
seek  and  save  the  lost  sheep.  We  quote 
from  the  touching  words  of  his  Apostolic 
letter,  written  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Vatican  Council  to  all  Protestants  and 
other  non-Catholics:"  "For  ourselves,  to 
whom  Christ  our  Lord  has  entrusted  the 
charge   of  the    supreme   apostolic   ministry, 

*  See  "  Appendix." 


2,2,2  The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX. 

and  who  must  therefore  fulfil  with  the 
greatest  zeal  all  the  functions  of  a  good 
pastor,  and  love  with  a  paternal  love, 
and  embrace  in  our  charity,  all  men,  wher- 
ever dispersed  over  the  earth,  we  address 
this  letter  to  all  Christians  separated  from 
us,  and  we  again  exhort  and  conjure  them 
quickly  to  return  to  the  one  fold  of  Christ. 
For  we  ardently  desire  their  salvation,  and 
we  fear  to  have  one  day  to  render  account 
to  him  who  is  cur  judge,  if  we  do  not 
show  them,  and  if  we  do  not  give  them, 
as  far  as  is  in  our  power,  the  sure  means 
to  know  the  way  which  leads  to  eternal 
salvation.  In  all  our  prayers,  beseeching 
and  giving  thanks,  we  cease  not,  day  or 
night,  to  ask  humbly  and  earnestly  for 
them,  of  the  Eternal  Pastor  of  souls,  the 
abundance  of  light  and  heavenly  grace." 
It    is    our    happiness    to    know    that   these 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         3  3  3 

words  have  not  been  without  effect,  and 
we  believe  that  many  souls  have  by  them 
been  guided  into  the  safe  pastures  where 
Peter  feeds  the  one  flock  of  his  Lord. 


IV. 

In  his  great  office  of  "  father  and  teacher 
of  all  Christians,"  Pius  IX.  has  been  dis- 
tinguished by  an  unsleeping  vigilance,  and 
in  times  when  error,  in  everchanging 
phases,  has  been  seducing  the  unwary,  has 
continually  spoken  to  confirm  the  faith 
of  his  brethren.  In  the  whole  history  of 
the  church,  there  has  scarcely  been  a  day 
like  ours.  Often,  and  from  the  earliest 
conflicts  of  Christianity,  has  the  voice  of 
Peter  been  called  to  decide  great  contro- 
versies, where  heresy  has  sought  to  under- 
mine the  pillar  of  the  truth,   now  by  open 


334  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

attack,  and  now  by  insidious  artifices.     Yet 
never   have    the   champions   of  a   so-called 
Christianity  taken  up  the  arms  of  infidelity 
as    in    these    latter    times.      They    destroy 
themselves  with  the  weapons  of  their  own 
loeic,   and  are  careless   as  to  the  result,  if 
they  can  aim  a  blow  at  the  Catholic  creed. 
Opinions  destructive  of  all  revealed  religion, 
even  subversive  of  the  principles  of  natural 
morality,  are  embraced  and  followed.     Pro- 
testant sects  forget  the  landmarks   of  their 
forefathers,    and   become   deists    in    theory, 
if  not    in    practice.       Governments,     under 
the    lead    of    great    statesmen,    rush    even 
further   into   the  darkness   of  atheism,   and 
throw    their   powers    and    influence    against 
the   very    foundations    on    which    Christian 
society    stands.     The    state,    to    free    con- 
science from  restraint,  usurps  the  rights  of 
the  family  and  the  church,   and  then  lords 


The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX.         335 

it  over  the  prostrate  people  from  whom 
it  claims  to  derive  its  hio-h  dominion. 
Atheism  in  politics  is  atheism  in  society, 
and  atheism  in  society  is  anarchy,  even 
if  it  bear  the  popular  name  of  progress. 

During-  the  reign  of  Pius  IX.,  convulsion 
after  convulsion  has  shaken  the  civil  world, 
while  the  ancient  foes  of  the  church  have 
almost  dropped  their  old  armor  and  their 
doctrinal  discussions  for  the  more  destruc 
tive  warfare  of  open  infidelity.  So  has  it 
happened  that  never  has  a  Pontiff  been 
called  so  often  to  exercise  his  infallible 
office,  to  warn  the  unwise  of  danger,  and 
to  declare  the  counsel  of  God  to  a  restless 
generation,  bent  upon  change,  and  thought- 
lessly seeking  for  revolution.  "Your  voice," 
says  the  address  of  five  hundred  bishops 
at  S.  Peter's  centenary,  "has  never  been 
silent.     You    have    accounted    it    to  belong 


336  The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX. 

to  your  supreme  office  to  proclaim  eternal 
verities;  to  smite  with  your  apostolic  sword 
the  errors  of  the  time,  which  threaten  to 
overthrow  the  natural  and  supernatural 
order  of  things,  and  the  very  foundations 
of  ecclesiastical  and  civil  power ;  to  dis- 
pel the  darkness  which  perverse  and  novel 
teachings  have  brought  upon  men's  souls, 
and  declare  all  that  is  necessary  and  whole- 
some to  the  individual,  to  the  Christian 
family,  and  to  civil  society ;  so  that  all 
may  clearly  know  what  every  Catholic 
should  hold,  retain,  and  profess.  For  that 
exceeding  care  we  render  to  your  Holiness 
the  deepest  thanks  and  endless  gratitude, 
believing  that  Peter  has  spoken  by  the 
mouth  of  Pius." 

First  of  all,  the  church  has  heard  from 
his  unerring  lips  the  definition  of  the 
true    doctrine    of  the    Immaculate    Concep- 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         ^37 

tion     of    the     ever-blessed    Virgin     Mary. 
The    time    had    come   when    the   belief,    so 
universal    as    to    time    and    place,     should 
receive    its   last   and    dogmatic    shape    from 
the    mouth    of    Peter;     and    to    our    Holy 
Father     has      this     great     privilege     been 
given,    which    will    glorify    his    reign     not 
only  in  the  militant,  but  also   in   the  trium- 
phant church,    and  to   endless    ages.       The 
purity  of  the  Mother  of  God  is  essential  to 
the  honor  of  her  divine   Son,   and  now,   in 
the  later  struggles  of  Christianity,  the  incar- 
nation of  Jesus  Christ  has  become,  if  pos- 
sible,   more    than    ever    the    great    mystery 
of  faith,  on  which  all  truth  revealed  depends. 
It  is  from  her  realization  of  Peter's  confes- 
sion,   "  Thou    art    the    Christ,    the    Son   of 
the  living   God,"   that   the    church    sees    so 
clearly  the  grand   outlines  of  faith,    and  is 
able    to    discern    the    slightest    shadow    of 


3$S  The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX. 

error.  And  the  prerogatives  of  the  mother 
shield  the  glories  of  the  Son,  and  the  truths 
contained  in  the  "Word  made  Flesh,"  so 
that  the  language  of  the  Canticle  is  not 
only  a  fact,  but  also  a  prophecy :  "  Re- 
joice, O  holy  virgin,  for  thou  alone  hath 
destroyed  all  heresies  throughout  the  earth." 
Many  a  Pontiff,  gone  to  his  blessed  rest, 
would  have  rejoiced  to  have  spoken  the 
words  which  God,  in  his  providence,  re- 
served to  Pius  IX.  as  the  great  consolation 
of  his  pontificate.  ■  These  words  close 
up  the  dogma  of  the  Incarnation,  and,  in 
a  day  of  unbelief,  present  the  mystery  of 
Bethlehem  in  its  perfect  form  and  uncloud- 
ed beauty. 

The  Syllabus  of  condemned  propositions, 
of  which  the  world  has  said  so  much  and 
known  so  little,  manifests  in  a  singular  de- 


The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX.         339 

gree   the   fulness    of   his   office   of  "teacher 
of  all    Christians,"   and    the    divine   wisdom 
which    has    illumined    him.      At   a   moment 
when  the   spirits  of  revolution  were  gather- 
ing their  clans,  and  sounding  to  an  attack, 
he    sends    forth    from    the    seat    of    divine 
authority  the   apostolic   voice.      The    errors 
which  have  thus  been  condemned  are  those 
which  are  rife  among  the  enemies  of  reve- 
lation.      They     have     misled     many     who 
scarcely  know  whither  they  tend ;   they  have 
been    adopted    in   part  by   modern   philoso- 
phy,   and    have    been    hailed   by  many  un- 
thinking  persons    as    steps     in    intellectual 
advancement ;   while,   in  fact,   they  are   only 
a   revival,   in    another   shape,    of  paganism. 
We  would  beg  those  who,  with  the  popu- 
lar voice,  have  cried  out  against  this  Sylla- 
bus,    to    study    more    carefully    its    various 
propositions,    and,    if  they   are    believers    in 


34-Q         The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

Christianity,  they  will  have  cause  to  won- 
der at  the  knowledge  and  skill  with  which 
the  Pontiff  has  touched  the  evils  of  the 
day,  which  threaten  society  and  govern- 
ment as  much  as  they  do  religion.  It 
bears  the  mark  of  the  divine  hand,  and, 
had  Pius  IX.  pronounced  no  other  deci- 
sions from  the  chair  of  Peter,  these  alone 
would  render  him  immortal.  If  the  a^e 
does  not  listen  to  his  warnings,  no  power 
can  arrest  the  destruction  which  will  come 
upon  families  and  nations.  The  open  in- 
fidel is  wise  enough  to  see  where  he  is 
guiding  the  bark  of  Protestant  Christianity, 
but  he  would  keep  his  followers  in  ignor- 
ance till  the  vessel  strands  upon  the  shoals 
of  unbelief,  amid  the  deep  gloom  of  uni- 
versal scepticism.  What  are  the  chief 
errors  which  here  receive  the  reprobation 
of  the  Sovereign  Pastor  ?     They  are,  briefly, 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         341 

pantheism  and  naturalism,  which  deny  God 
by  destroying"  his  divine  character  and 
making  him  the  equal  of  his  own  crea- 
tures ;  rationalism,  which  attempts  against 
its  own  first  laws  to  exalt  the  human  in- 
telligence beyond  its  sphere ;  indifferentism, 
which,  casting  away  the  evidence  of  reve- 
lation, makes  Christianity  itself  an  impos- 
ture, and  the  death  and  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ  fables ;  and  socialism,  with 
its  kindred  communism,  whose  object  is 
the  ruin  of  society  in  the  overthrow  of  law 
and  all  the  principles  of  natural  equity. 
These  are  the  errors  which,  under  different 
forms,  threaten  the  very  existence  of  our 
social  institutions,  while,  masked  often  under 
the  appearance  of  good,  they  identify 
themselves  with  that  which  is  called  "  mo- 
dern progress"  and  the  "spirit  of  the  age." 
The  opposition  to  the  church  and  her  pre- 


34  2  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

iwatives  comes  not  now  from  the  doe- 
matic  battles  which  have  been  foueht  amone 
Christian  sects,  so  much  as  from  these  more 
deadly  errors,  fostered  and  directed  by  the 
spirits  of  evil,  whose  standard  bears  ever 
against  the  Incarnate  God,  the  Word  that 
speaks  in  man,  and  reveals  to  him  the 
truths  of  the  world  unseen.  With  these 
enemies  the  Catholic  Church  fights  single- 
handed   and  alone. 

From  the  condemnation  of  such  false 
and  pernicious  theories,  the  Holy  Father 
proceeds  to  defend  those  ecclesiastical  rights 
which  inhere  in  the  divine  society  which 
the  only  Redeemer  of  mankind  has  formed 
to  perpetuate  and  apply  his  redemption  ;  to 
resist  the  tyranny  of  the  civil  power  over  the 
church,  while  he  defends  and  sustains  that 
power  in  its  just  sphere ;  and  to  guard 
the    very    foundations     of    law,     on    which 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         343 


stands   the   edifice  of  natural   and  Christian 
ethics. 

For  these  great  acts,  the  world  owes  to 
him  its  debt  of  lasting  gratitude,  and 
families  and  nations,  if  they  would  follow 
his  counsel,  could  look  upon  him  as  their 
saviour.  Why  is  it  that  the  advanced 
philosophers  of  these  times  seek  to  do 
away  with  the  sacredness  and  inviolability 
of  marriage,  to  separate  religion  from  edu- 
cation, and  in  the  state  to  ignore  the  facts 
of  revelation  ?  Alas !  there  is  a  deeper 
meaning  than  men  think  in  the  outcry 
against  the  definitions  of  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiff, whose  words  only  defend  all  that  is 
precious  on  earth,  or  dear  to  the  soul 
of  man.  When  the  pernicious  doctrines 
condemned  by  Pius  IX.  shall  have  brought 
forth  their  fruit  (which  may  Heaven  for- 
bid),   and    the   torch  of  revolution  fires  the 


344  The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX. 

time-honored  temple  sacred  to  true  liberty, 
and  the  social  fabric  falls,  then,  mid  the 
ashes  of  a  nation's  glory,  the  demon's  revel 
shall  begin,  and  the  world  learn  too  late 
the  lessons  so  lovingly  taught  by  the  Vicar 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  two  dogmatic  decrees  of  the  Vati- 
can  Council,  confirmed  and  published  by 
his  Holiness,  are  among  the  brightest 
pages  of  the  dogmatic  history  of  Chris- 
tianity.* It  seems,  indeed,  strange  that, 
now  in  the  end  of  the  ages,  nearly  two 
thousand  years  after  Christ,  the  Catholic 
Church  should  turn  to  the  first  principles 
of  faith,  and  solemnly  set  forth  her  belief 
in  God,  the  creator  of  all  things,  and 
in  the  essential  harmonies  of  reason  and 
revelation.  Yet  the  wonderful  words  in 
which   the    Council   speaks   bear   the   signs 

*  See  "Appendix." 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         345 

of  divine  inspiration,  and  are  the  language 
of  the  one  Redeemer  to  a  faithless  Qfene- 
ration  in  its  hour  of  great  need.  As  the 
preface  to  the  decree  declares,  "The  here- 
sies proscribed  by  the  Fathers  of  Trent, 
by  which  the  divine  teaching  of  the  church 
was  rejected,  and  all  matters  regarding 
religion  were  surrendered  to  the  judgment 
of  each  individual,  gradually  became  divided 
into  many  sects,  which  so  disagreed  and 
disputed  with  each  other,  until  at  length 
not  a  few  lost  all  faith  in  Christ.  Even 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  had  previously 
been  declared  the  sole  source  and  judge 
of  Christian  doctrine,  began  to  be  held 
no  longer  as  divine,  but  to  be  ranked 
among  the  fictions  of  mythology.  Then 
there  arose,  and  widely  overspread  the  world, 
that  doctrine  of  rationalism  or  naturalism 
which    opposes    itself  in    every  way  to    the 


346  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

Christian  religion  as  a  supernatural  insti- 
tution, and  works  with  the  utmost  zeal  in 
order  that,  after  Christ,  our  only  Lord 
and  Saviour,  has  been  excluded  from  the 
minds  of  men,  the  reign  of  what  they  call 
reason,  or  pure  nature,  may  be  established. 
And  after  rejecting  and  forsaking  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  denying  the  true  God 
and  his  Christ,  the  minds  of  many  have 
sunk  into  an  abyss  of  pantheism,  materi- 
alism, and  atheism,  until,  denying  rational 
nature  itself,  and  every  sound  rule  of  right, 
they  labor  to  destroy  the  very  foundations 
of  human  society."  As  time  goes  on,  and 
the  rude  trials  of  experience  compel  honest 
men  to  study  the  definitions  of  this  Coun- 
cil, the  world  will  learn  to  appreciate  the 
wisdom  and  charity  which  have  so  emi- 
nently shone  in  the  pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 
They  are  golden   words,    precious  treasures 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.  347 

of  everlasting-  life,  freely  offered  from  the 
chair  of  supreme  authority  to  every  child 
of  man. 

In  the  second  constitution  of  the  Vatican 
Synod  concerning  the  church  of  Christ, 
the  voice  of  Peter,  through  his  successor, 
has  spoken  only  the  faith  of  many  ages ; 
but  it  has  been  the  glory  of  our  Holy 
Father  to  solemnly  define  the  infallibility 
of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  and  thus  present 
in  bright  outlines  the  fulness  of  the  Catholic 
dogma  concerning  the  mystical  body  of 
Christ.  This  has  been  the  fitting1  honor 
of  a  reign  which  has  been  so  distinguished 
for  the  constant  exercise  of  Peter's  office 
in  confirming  his  brethren,  and  present- 
ing the  clear  light  of  truth  to  the  world. 
The  heart  of  the  great  Pastor,  which,  amid 
so  many  sorrows,  has  never  relaxed  his 
apostolic    labors,    has    thus    been    crowned 


34S  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

with  a  lasting  joy.  The  church,  gathered 
around  her  head,  feels  the  pulses  of  a  new 
life,  and,  in  the  midst  of  manifold  griefs, 
girds  herself  to  the  work  of  evangelizing 
the  nations,  as  in  her  early  youth,  and  in 
the  freshness  of  her  Pentecostal  baptism. 
These  are  the  consolations  which  cheer 
the  soul  of  the  august  Pontiff,  who  hath 
filled  up  the  days  of  Peter,  and  hath  been 
so  largely  endued  with  Peter's  zeal,  and 
hath  so  often  spoken  Peter's  unerring 
voice. 

Nor  may  we  forget  that  by  his  supreme 
pastorship,  which  binds  in  heaven  as  on 
earth,  the  great  patriarch  S.  Joseph  has 
been  made  the  patron  of  the  universal 
church,  and  he  who  was  the  protector  of 
Jesus  and  Mary  in  their  pilgrimage  here, 
will  now  become  the  guide  and  guardian 
of  the  one   family   which  is   here  sanctified 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         349 

around  the  cradle  of  the  Incarnate  Word, 
which  will  follow  Christ  to  the  end.  This 
is  the  mystery  of  faith,  and  they  that  receive 
it  "become  the  sons  of  God,  and  are  born 
again,  not  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of 
the  will  of  man,  but  of  the  will  of  God." 
So  may  the  holy  prince  of  the  heavenly 
house  look  down  with  love,  and  watch 
over  the  flock  his  foster-son  purchased  on 
Calvary,  and  sustain  the  shepherd  of  the 
sheep,  as  for  his  fidelity  to  his  Lord  he 
bears  the  chains  of  Peter.  May  his  hands 
guide  the  great  Pontiff  to  his  rest,  and 
make  glorious  the  beams  of  his  setting 
sun !  Now  is  the  hour  when  the  chariots 
of  fire  should  appear,  and  the  arms  of  the 
Unseen  be  lifted  up  for  the  right;  for  the 
day  of  man's  weakness  is  the  day  of  heaven's 
might. 


350  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 


v. 


In  trials  such  as  our  brief  lecture  has 
feebly  portrayed  has  Pius  IX.  been  a  con- 
fessor for  the  faith.  His  fidelity  to  religion 
has  brought  upon  him  all  his  sorrows, 
which  he  has  borne  with  heroic  resigna- 
tion to  God,  and  even  with  the  most  for- 
giving love  of  his  enemies.  No  violence 
has  ever  dimmed  the  lustre  of  his  patience, 
or  caused  him  to  breathe  resentment  to 
any  one.  Even  where  he  has  been  obliged 
to  pronounce  the  censures  of  the  church 
upon  her  rebelling  children,  it  has  been 
with  grief  of  heart,  and  the  earnest  prayer 
for  their  repentance.  Once  driven  into 
exile,  continually  calumniated,  stripped  of 
his  temporal  principality,  and  now  in  cap- 
tivity, with  an  unceasing  charity  has  he 
raised    his    hands    to    God    in    the    prayer 


The  Pontificate  of  Plus  IX.         351 

of  his  Master,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do."  During 
his  whole  reign,  so  distinguished  by  active 
efforts  for  the  good  of  his  people,  he  has 
had  scarcely  one  moment  of  repose,  and 
yet  the  ever-bright  smile  which  lights  his 
face  is  an  index  of  the  deep  trust  in  God 
which  enables  him  so  meekly  to  bear  his 
burden.  "  Gentle,  merciful,  compassionate, 
and  paternal  as  he  is,  there  is  no  sacrifice 
which  he  would  not  be  prepared  to  make, 
no  danger  which  he  would  not  cheerfully 
encounter,  in  the  vindication  of  the  truth, 
or  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  '  I  am 
ready  to  go  to-morrow  to  the  catacombs, 
as  many  of  my  predecessors  have  done, 
if  the  interests  of  the  church  of  God  re- 
quire it,'  were  words  which  he  uttered  in 
my  presence,  and  with  such  simple  dignity, 
such   an   unconscious   nobleness  of  gesture, 


352  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

such  a  quick  flushing  of  the  face  and  light- 
ing up  of  the  eye,  that  there  rose  up  be- 
fore my  mind  those  fearless  martyrs  of 
the  early  day,  who,  though  holy,  gentle, 
and  mild  as  Pius  IX.,  could  yet  meet  the 
sword  of  the  slayer,  without  the  betrayal 
of  a  single  emotion  of  human  weakness."  * 
While  every  one,  even  his  most  violent 
enemy,  has  ever  found  him  full  of  com- 
passion and  generosity,  we  know  that  he 
has  more  than  once  offered  his  life  for  the 
church,  and  that  he  would  be  willing,  at 
any  time,  to  give  his  blood  for  the  salva- 
tion of  his  misguided  adversaries.  Nay, 
it  is  even  in  his  heart  that  God  may  be 
pleased  to  call  him  to  this  sacrifice,  and 
to  crown  his  long  and  remarkable  life  with 
the  glory  of  martyrdom.  In  him,  for  the 
edification  of  the  church,  we  see  the  graces 

*  Rome  and  its  Ruler.      By  J.  F.  Maguire. 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         353 

of  the  early  confessors,  which  the  spouse 
of  Christ  has  so  often  brought  forth  to 
her  Beloved,  the  patience  of  the  martyr, 
combined  with  the  gentleness  of  a  child, 
and  complete  fearlessness  of  the  world,  in 
union  with  the  tenderest  sympathy  for  all. 
No  one  has  ever  been  in  his  presence 
without  feeling  the  magnetic  power  of  his 
character,  and  the  supernatural  grace  which 
clothes  him  as  a  garment,  and  attracts 
even  those  hostile  to  our  creed.  His  own 
words,  addressed  on  a  memorable  occasion 
to  the  bishops,  are  worthy  to  be  enshrined 
in  the  heart  of  every  Catholic.  On  the 
17th  of  June,  1867,  the  anniversary  of 
his  creation,  the  Cardinal  Vicar,  in  the 
name  of  the  sacred  college,  made  the  usual 
address  of  congratulation,  wishing  him 
health  and  many  years  to  see  the  peace 
and   triumph   of  the    church.     He  replied : 


354         The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

"  I  accept  your  good  wishes  from  my 
heart,  but  I  leave  their  verification  to  the 
hands  of  God.  We  are  in  a  moment  of 
great  crisis.  If  we  look  only  to  the  aspect 
of  human  events,  there  is  no  hope ;  but 
we  have  a  higher  confidence.  Men  are 
intoxicated  with  dreams  of  unity  and  pro- 
gress ;  but  neither  is  possible  without  jus- 
tice. Unity  and  progress,  based  on  pride 
and  egotism,  are  illusions.  God  has  laid 
on  me  the  duty  to  declare  the  truths  on 
which  Christian  society  is  based,  and  to 
condemn  the  errors  which  undermine  its 
foundations.  And  I  have  not  been  silent. 
In  the  Encyclical  of  1864,  and  in  that 
which  is  called  the  Syllabus,  I  declared  to 
the  world  the  dangers  which  threaten 
society,  and  I  condemned  the  falsehoods 
which  assail  its  life.  That  act  I  now  con- 
firm  in    your  presence,    and   I   set  it  again 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         355 

before  you,  as  the  rule  of  your  teaching. 
To  you,  venerable  brethren,  as  bishops 
of  the  church,  I  now  appeal  to  assist  me 
in  the  conflict  with  error.  On  you  I  rely 
for  support.  When  the  people  of  Israel 
wandered  in  the  wilderness,  they  had  a 
pillar  of  fire  to  guide  them  in  the  night, 
and  a  cloud  to  shield  them  from  the  heat 
by  day.  You  are  the  pillar  and  the  cloud 
to  the  people  of  God.  By  your  teaching, 
you  must  guide  the  faithful  in  the  dark- 
ness ;  by  your  example,  you  must  shield 
them  from  the  burnino-  sun  of  this  world. 
I  am  aged  and  alone,  praying  on  the 
mountain,  and  you,  the  bishops  of  the 
church,  are  come  to  hold  up  my  arms. 
The  church  must  suffer,  but  it  will  conquer. 
Preach  the  word,  be  instant  in  season,  out 
of  season ;  reprove,  entreat,  rebuke,  with 
all  patience  and  doctrine.     For  there  shall 


356  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

be  a  time,  and  that  time  is  come,  when 
they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine.  The 
world  will  contradict  you,  and  turn  from 
you  ;  but  be  firm  and  faithful.  For  I  am 
even  now  ready  to  be  sacrificed,  and  the 
time  of  my  dissolution  is  at  hand.  I  have, 
I  trust,  fought  a  good  fight,  and  have 
kept  the  faith ;  and  there  is  laid  up  for 
you,  and,  I  trust,  for  me  also,  a  crown  of 
justice,  which  the  Lord,  the  just  judge, 
will  render  to  me  at  that  day."  * 

When  these  words  echo  in  our  ears,  and 
we  see  the  signs  of  the  times,  while  infi- 
delity flourishes,  and  the  love  of  justice 
deserts  individuals  and  nations,  and  the 
Holy  Father  is  in  captivity,  with  his  own 
loved  city  a  prey  to  vice  and  revolution, 
without  one  Christian  state  to  raise  its 
voice    of    protest,    we    are    ready    for    any 

*  Pastoral  of  Archbishop  Manning,  Sept.  S,  1S67. 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         357 

trial  which  the  church  may  need  for  its 
purification  and  the  glory  of  its  crucified 
Master.  The  foes  of  society  have  the 
torch  in  hand,  and  there  is  no  land  they 
love  so  much  to  spoil,  as  that  sacred  soil 
hallowed  by  the  tomb  of  the  apostles  and 
the  scenes  of  the  great  triumphs  of  Chris- 
tianity. If  the  sharing  of  the  cross  be 
the  mark  of  the  Redeemer's  love,  and  the 
sign  of  nearness  to  his  person  ;  then  may 
Pius  IX.  know  how  dear  to  his  Lord  are 
the  deeds  and  sorrows  of  his  reign,  and 
in  this  ineffable  grace  receive  his  con- 
solation. 

With  the  light  of  this  great  example 
before  us,  let  Catholics  awake  to  the  duty 
they  owe  to  God  and  to  their  fellow-men. 
This  is  no  day  for  idleness,  still  less  for 
compromise  with  the  principles  which  are 
at  war  with  Christ  and  his  religion.     "  He 


358  The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX. 

that  gathereth  not  with  the  church,  scatter- 
eth."  "  He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against 
me."  Lukewarmness  on  our  part,  or  any 
attempts  to  reconcile  our  faith  with  any 
of  the  teachings  of  the  world,  will  do  more 
to  harm  the  cause  of  truth  than  the  vio- 
lence of  many  open  enemies.  So  has  our 
illustrious  Pontiff  taught  us.  There  is 
more  to  fear  from  radicalism  within  the 
church  than  from  unmasked  infidelity  with- 
out. Gallicanism  has  been  consigned  to 
a  grave  from  which  it  can  never  rise ;  the 
pressure  of  hostile  columns  forces  us  into 
close  array  around  the  inviolable  centre 
of  truth  ;  and  shall  any  who  wear  the  Chris- 
tian name  be  found  willing  to  compro- 
mise with  the  spirit  of  revolution  and  its 
Utopian  dreams  of  progress?  For  us, 
there  is  one  law,  one  infallible  voice,  one 
guide  who  safely  will  lead  us  through   the 


The  Po7itijicate  of  Pius  IX.        359 

dangers  of  battle  to  certain  victory.  To 
follow  that  voice  is  to  follow  the  God- Man, 
as  he  calls  us  on  to  do  or  suffer  for  his 
Gospel.  It  is  to  stand  steadfast  in  our  lot, 
and  bear  our  witness  to  a  faithless  genera- 
tion ;  that,  when  we  are  gathered  to  our 
fathers,  we  may  be  welcomed  to  the  com- 
pany of  those  who  have  fought  the  good 
fight,  and  with  the  noble  army  of  martyrs 
and  confessors  have  received  an  unfading 
crown.  Thanks,  then,  be  given  to  God  for 
the  pastor  whom  he  has  sent  to  us  in  these 
days,  when  the  flock  of  Christ  is  in  manifold 
dangers  on  every  side.  The  ages  of  faith 
come  back  to  us  in  the  presence  of  such 
a  Pontiff,  and  holy  bishops,  whose  blood 
was  freely  shed  for  their  Lord,  seem  to 
surround  the  long  line  of  the  successors  of 
S.  Peter.  The  mountain  is  full  of  horses 
and  chariots  of  fire,  while  the  hosts  of  evil 


360         The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX. 

bear  with  new  strength  against  the  Sion 
of  the  new  law  and  the  rock  of  divine 
truth.  Who  is  so  foolish  as  to  think  that 
their  attack  shall  prevail  ?  Let  the  shout 
of  the  unbelieving,  and  the  victorious  cries 
of  the  revolution,  be  stayed  till  the  battle 
is  over.  Wait,  rash  and  unthinking  man, 
till  the  sun  shall  arise  upon  your  field  of 
conflict.  You  may  drive  the"  Vicar  of 
Christ,  whom  now  you  hold  a  captive,  into 
exile.  God  may  give  you  his  blood  with 
that  of  many  of  his  children,  and  permit 
you  to  kindle  the  flames  of  the  spoiler 
within  the  most  sacred  temple  of  the  earth, 
and  to  do  what  neither  pagan  nor  vandal 
has  accomplished  ;  but  have  you  thus  tri- 
umphed ?  To  our  eye  there  comes  back 
the  most  wonderful  of  all  scenes.  There 
is  a  cross,  and  one  who  hangs  on  it  in 
the  exhaustion  of  death,   and   that   sufferer 


The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX.         361 

is   the  ever-living  God,   the  Creator.     Can 
man    do    more    than    crucify    his    Maker  ? 
And    did    he    thus    conquer   the    meek   and 
holy    Jesus    of   Nazareth  ?      Ah !   the    hour 
when  the  forces   of  evil   meet  together    for 
their  fiercest  assault  on   the  stronghold  of 
faith    is    the   hour    of    their    lasting    over- 
throw.    Pius  IX.  may  not  live   to  see  the 
triumph   of  •  the    church,    for    the    patience 
of  the  saints  may  not  be  soon  accomplish- 
ed,    and    the    full    fury   of    the    storm    may 
not   yet   be    come.     Yet,    as  surely  as  the 
Eternal  King  reigneth  on  high,   shall   vie 
tory   crown    the    truth,    and   the   Sovereign 
Judge   of  the    living   and    the   dead    stand 
up    for   his    Vicar.      Woe    to    him    who,    in 
this  unequal  conflict,  rushes  upon  the  buck- 
ler  of  the    Lord    of    hosts !     Woe    to    the 
king    or    nation    upon    whom    the  corner- 
stone shall   fall,  to  grind  him   to    powder  ! 


362         The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

These  are  days  of  restless  activity,  when 
the  things  that  are  s-een  are  too  often 
made  the  end  of  the  immortal  soul.  Pride 
is  mistaken  for  security,  vanity  for  know- 
ledge, and  license  for  liberty.  The  bubble 
will,  ere  long,  burst,  to  the  utter  ruin  of 
the  votaries  of  a  false  philosophy.  Hav- 
ing eyes,  men  see  not,  and,  having  ears, 
they  hear  not.  Yet  there  is  no  hour  so 
dark  that  the  word  of  Christ  faileth,  or 
the  light  ceaseth  to  shine  from  the  one 
temple  of  truth  which  he  hath  built  upon 
a  rock,  and  in  which  he  dwelleth  with 
all  the  fulness  of  his  divinity.  Here  is 
the  standard  of  the  Redeemer,  here  the 
graces  of  the  celestial  city,  here  the  peace 
and  safety  of  nations. 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         363 


More  than  six  years  have  passed  since 
we  closed  the  foregoing  sketch  of  the  life 
of  one  of  the  greatest  in  the  long  line  of 
Pontiffs.  They  have  been  indeed  eventful 
years,  full  of  trial  and  suffering  for  the  church 
and  her  supreme  Head.  It  was  the  hope 
of  all  devout  Catholics  that  Pius  IX.,  so 
dear  to  their  hearts,  and  so  identified  with 
the  struggles  of  religion  during  his  won- 
derful pontificate,  might  live  to  see  the 
triumph  of  right  over  wrong  and  of  justice 
over  injustice,  and  be  restored  to  his  tem- 
poral sovereignty  before  his  earthly  confes- 
sorship  should  be  ended.  But  God  has 
willed  otherwise  in  his  inscrutable  wisdom. 
The  world  has  lost  its  respect  for  truth, 
and  society  has  apostatized  from  Christiani- 
ty.     The    end    is    not    come,    nor    has   the 


364  The  Pontificate  of  Pitts  IX. 

depth  of  moral  atheism  been  reached.  The 
stormy  sea  of  human  passion  will  be  stilled 
when  the  Lord,  who  is  ever  in  the  bark 
of  Peter,  shall  speak  the  word  which  winds 
and  waves  obey.  Till  that  time  faith  and 
hope  and  love  must  do  their  part,  and 
around  the  altars  of  the  incarnate  God 
preserve  the  Gospel,  which  is  the  only  sal- 
vation of  nations. 

These  last  years  of  the  life  of  our  glo- 
rious Pontiff  present  to  our  eyes  a  view 
of  increasing  moral  grandeur,  and  amid  the 
infirmities  of  age  and  the  wearing  effects 
of  disappointment,  exhibit  the  strength  of 
Christ  in  his  Vicar.  The  world  has  hardly 
seen  a  more  noble  sight  since  the  days 
when  it  saw  and  crucified  its  Creator  and 
Redeemer. 

In  the  constant  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  his   laborious  office   Pius  IX.,  up  to  the 


The  Pontificate  of  Phis  IX.         365 

latest  hour  of  his  life,  has  continued  to 
provide  for  the  needs  of  the  church  with 
the  same  vigor  which  characterized  the 
bright  morning  of  his  pontificate.  The 
years  which  have  passed  since  he  became 
actually  a  prisoner  in  the  Vatican  have 
been  marked  by  the  series  of  spiritual 
triumphs  which  have  been  to  his  heart  a 
compensation  for  the  many  sorrows  which 
have  overwhelmed  him.  The  episcopate 
has  been  strengthened  and  extended  in 
every  land.  It  had  been  his  purpose  to 
establish  a  hierarchy  in  Scotland,  and  the 
decree  was  awaiting  his  final  approval 
when  his  last  illness  interrupted  the  work. 
The  great  cause  of  Christian  education  has 
received  from  him  every  support  which 
command  and  apostolic  definition  and  ur- 
gent entreaty  could  give.  With  unceasing 
authority  has  he  protested  against  the  sepa- 


366  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

ration  of  religion  from  education,  which  is 
among  the  last  attempts  of  Antichrist  to 
paganize  again  the  world.  On  the  2 2d  of 
April,  1875,  he  published  a  decree,  at  the 
request  of  many  of  the  bishops  and  of 
the  faithful,  consecrating  the  world  to  the 
most  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus.  This  solemn 
ceremony  took  place  throughout  the  entire 
church  on  the  16th  of  June  of  the  same 
year,  the  second  centenary  of  the  revela- 
tion made  by  our  Lord  to  the  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  Alacoque.  The  increase  of 
the  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  has  been 
owing  in  great  measure  to  the  exhortations 
and    piety   of   Pius    IX. 

On  the  19th  of  July,  1877,  S.  Francis 
de  Sales  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a 
Doctor  of  the  Church  by  a  special  decree. 

The  perseverance  and  unflinching  firm- 
ness  with    which     Pius     IX.    defended    the 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.  367 

rights  of  the  temporal  sovereignty  of  the 
Vicar  of  Christ  have  made  him  a  confes- 
sor for  this  inalienable  right  and  privilege 
of  the  Holy  See.  On  the  12th  of  March, 
1877,  he  addressed  an  allocution  to  the 
Sacred  College  of  Cardinals,  in  which  most 
plainly  he  rehearses  the  wrongs  inflicted 
upon  the  church  and  the  papal  preroga- 
tives, and  in  language  clearly  conceived  ex- 
poses the  violence  and  wickedness  of  the 
persecution  which  has  made  the  capital  of 
the  Christian  world  a  den  of  thieves,  and 
the  aged  Pontiff  a  prisoner.*  The  words 
of  this  allocution  are  worthy  to  be  trea- 
sured among  the  brightest  and  most  im- 
portant of  his  long  reign.  Whatever  may 
be  said  in  regard  to  politics,  there  is  a 
doctrine  which  underlies  them ;  and  from 
the     declarations    of    the     Popes   we    know 

*  See  Appendix. 


368  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

that  the  temporal  dominion  of  the  succes- 
sor of  S.  Peter  is  not  merely  a  political 
question.  No  Catholic  can  deny  the  ex- 
pediency or  the  right  of  the  temporal 
power  without  attacking  the  church  her- 
self, and  making  common  cause  with  the 
enemies  of  Christianity.  So  much  have 
the  labors  and  sufferings  of  Pius  IX.  ac- 
complished. Among  the  greatest  works 
performed  by  this  remarkable  Pontiff  since 
the  breach  of  Porta  Pia  was  the  work  of 
continual  and  almost  hourly  labor,  by  which 
he  urged  on  the  great  Catholic  revival  in 
every  portion  of  the  world.  In  his  daily 
receptions,  in  the  visits  of  pilgrims  which 
flocked  to  his  feet,  his  words  animated 
faith,  while  his  very  aspect  inspired  sympa- 
thy and  love.  He  seemed  to  bear  upon 
his  heart  and  mind  the  whole  heart  and 
mind  of  the  church.     The  faith  which  lived 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.  369 

in  him  seemed  to  flow  from  the*  head  to 
every  member  of  the  body.  The  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  his  episcopal  consecration, 
which  occurred  on  the  3d  of  June,  1877, 
was  an  occasion  which  brought  out  the 
full  fervor  and  devotion  of  all  Catholics  to 
his  office  and  person,  and  in  the  vast  num- 
ber of  pilgrims  to  the  tomb  of  the  Apos- 
tles, and  the  offerings  of  the  whole  world, 
was  a  worthy  testimony  to  the  fidelity  of 
his  ministry.  It  was,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  the  closing  demonstration  of  Christian 
piety  to  the  wonderful  life  drawing  to  its 
glorious  end. 

The  last  consistories  were  held  in  the 
private  library  of  the  Pope  on  the  28th 
and  31st  of  December,  1877.  The  allocu- 
tion made  from  his  couch  on  the  first  of 
these  occasions,  when  from  infirmity  he 
was   no   longer   able   to   stand,  is  so  touch- 


370  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

ing  and  so  full  of  meaning  that  it  deserves 
to    be    treasured    by  every   devout   Catholic. 

It  was   thus  worded  : 

"  Venerable  Brethren  :  Your  presence 
to-day  in  such  numbers  gives  us  the  oppor- 
tunity which  we  gladly  seize  to  return  you 
and  each  of  you  our  sincere  thanks  for 
the  kind  offices  shown  us  in  this  time  of 
our  illness.  We  thank  God  that  we  have 
found  you  most  faithful  helpers  in  bearing 
the  burdens  of  the  apostolic  ministry ; 
and  your  virtue  and  your  constant  affec- 
tion have  contributed  to  lessen  the  bitter- 
ness of  our  many  sufferings.  But  much 
more  we  rejoice  in  your  love  and  zeal. 
We  cannot  forget  that  we  need  daily 
more  and  more  your  co-operation,  and 
that  of  all  our  brethren  and^  of  the  faith- 
ful, to  obtain  the  immediate  aid  of  God 
for  our  many  pressing  necessities  and  those 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         371 

of  the  church.  Therefore  we  urgently 
exhort  you,  and  especially  those  of  you 
who  exercise  the  episcopal  ministry  in  your 
dioceses,  as  well  as  all  the  pastors  who 
preside  over  the  Lord's  flock  throughout 
the  Catholic  world,  to  implore  the  Divine 
clemency,  and  cause  prayers  to  be  offered 
up  to  God  that  he  may  give  us,  amidst 
the  afflictions  of  our  body,  strength  of 
mind  to  wage  vigorously  the  conflict 
which  must  be  endured ;  to  regard  merci- 
fully the  labors  and  wrongs  of  the 
church ;  to  forgive  us  and  all  our  sins, 
and  for  the  glory  of  his  name  to  grant 
us  the  gift  of  good-will,  and  the  fruits  of 
that  peace  which  the  angelic  choirs  an- 
nounced to  mankind  at  the  Saviour's 
birth." 

The    last   address  of   Pius    IX.  was  made 


372  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 

on  the  Feast  of  the  Purification  of  the 
B.  V.  Mary,  February  2,  1878,  to  the  heads 
of  the  religious  orders  and  the  clergy  of 
the  Roman  parishes.  He  was  assisted  to 
his  throne,  and,  surrounded  by  his  court, 
spoke   as  follows: 

"It  is  for  me  a  great  consolation  to  see 
you  here  assembled  around  me,  and  mak- 
ing me  an  agreeable  circle  {corona)  of 
loving  sons.  I  thank  you  for  the  zeal 
which  you  never  cease  to  display  in  the 
work  of  guarding  and  saving  the  souls 
entrusted  to  your  care.  I  thank  the  pas- 
tors of  souls  who  exert  themselves  to  the 
utmost  to  bring  people  to  attend  church 
and   to    frequent    the    sacraments. 

"  I  also  thank  the  pastors  of  souls  and 
all  the  clergy,  both  secular  and  regular, 
for   the   prayers     which,    under    their   direc- 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         3J3 

tion,   the    faithful    have    not   ceased  to  send 
up    to    God    for    me.     I   charge   you    to    re- 
turn thanks  in   my   name   for  those  prayers 
to    all    your    flocks.       Thank    them,    and 
make    it   known   to   them    that    I    am    ask- 
ing  God   to  grant  them   the  grace  of  per- 
severance in   prayer,   in  the  frequentation  of 
the    sacraments,   and     in    their    fidelity     to 
the    Head  of  the   Church.     Tell  them   that 
I   remember  them,  and   I   pray  to   God  for 
them    daily,   that    he    would    be    pleased    to 
preserve    them    under   the   shield  (egida)   of 
his     protecting     right     hand.      One     thing 
more    I   have  now  to  say  to  you  before   I 
take   leave   of  you. 

"  I  know  that  there  are  always  in  various 
parishes  some  ignorant  persons  who  do  not 
possess  a  knowledge  even  of  the  most 
essential  truths  of  religion.  I  know,  too, 
that  there  are  parents  who  are  most   blam- 


374  The  Pontificate  of  P iits  IX. 

able  in  thus  leaving  their  children  to  grow 
up  in  such  ignorance  of  religion,  but  I 
know  also  that  we  ought  to  hunt  up 
(correre  in  traccia)  the  sinners  to  convert 
them,  and  the   ignorant  to  enlighten  them. 

"  Do  you,  then,  search  after  the  ignorant, 
and  zealously  enlighten  them,  so  that  it 
may  not  be  said  that,  in  the  centre  of  the 
Catholic  world,  there  are  souls  that  are 
ignorant  of  the  chief  mysteries  of  our  holy 
religion.  Labor  with  all  your  might  to 
wipe  off  this  reproach  from  Rome ;  labor 
that  by  means  of  your  zeal  and  your 
prayers  souls  may  be  converted,  a.id  the 
truth  may  shine  forth  everywhere  through- 
out  this    Holy  City. 

"  Such  are  the  words  which  I  have 
exerted  myself  to  say  to  you  on  the  pre- 
sent occasion  ;  my  weakness  not  permitting 
me   to  say  more. 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.         375 

"  And  now  I  bless  you.  I  bless  your 
persons,  your  religious  houses,  and  all  the 
souls  that  are  entrusted  to  your  charge. 
May  this  benediction  accompany  you  all 
the  days  of  your  life,  and  may  it  be  the 
theme  of  your  prayers  and  praises  when 
it  shall  please  God  to  call  you  into  Para- 
dise." 

This  was  the  last  time  that  he  sat 
upon  his  pontifical  throne  on  earth,  and 
these  were  his  last  words  of  public  exhor- 
tation. They  may  be  almost  called  his 
dying  testament  to  the  clergy  who  labor 
for   the    salvation    of  souls. 

Although  the  end  came  at  an  unex- 
pected moment,  when  hopes  were  enter- 
tained that  he  might  once  more  regain  his 
strength  ;  yet  it  was  the  quiet  and  peace- 
ful   death    of  the  just,   the   serene  close  of 


n 


76  The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX. 


a  long  and  almost  miraculous  life  spent 
for  God  and  his  church.  Even  on  the  6th 
of  February  he  seemed  better  and  stronger, 
but  it  was  the  last  flickering  light  of  his 
life.  After  a  short  agony  he  expired  on 
the  7th,  fortified  by  the  sacraments  and 
surrounded  by  the  sacred  college  and  the 
prelates  of  his  household.  His  last  act 
was  the  apostolic  benediction  to  the  church 
and  the  world,  and  his  last  word  the  com- 
mendation of  his  own  soul  into  the  hands 
of  God. 

As  the  sun  of  this  sad  day  sank  to  its 
setting,  the  bells  of  the  "Ave  Maria"  an- 
nounced the  last  moments  of  the  earthly 
life  of  the  great  and  beloved  Pontiff  Who, 
of  all  the  long  line  of  confessors  and  mar- 
tyrs, could  hope  for  a  more  happy  welcome 
to  the  choirs  of  the  triumphant  church  ? 

S.  Joseph,  proclaimed  patron  of  the  Chris- 


The  Pontificate  of  Pius  IX.  3  7 7 

tian  world  by  his  voice,  came  to  be  his 
protector  in  the  supreme  moment  when  he 
rendered  up  his  apostolate.  Mary,  Mother 
of  God  and  Queen  of  Heaven,  was  at  the 
risfht  hand  of  him  whose  infallible  voice 
had  defined  her  Immaculate  Conception, 
whose  priestly  hands  had  placed  upon  her 
head  before  the  nations  the  crown  of  pu- 
rity. 

And  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  to  which 
he  had  consecrated  the  redeemed  earth, 
opened  to  his  longing  gaze  its  safe  shelter, 
and  gave  him  an  everlasting  home  upon 
the  breast  of  incarnate  Love.  There  sweet 
and  blessed  be  the  rest  of  our  venerated 
and    immortal    Father. 

In  his  last  will  and  testament  he  directs 
that  his  body  shall  be  buried  in  the  Church 
of  S.  Lawrence,  under  the  little  arch  over 
the   stone    on    which    are   still    be  seen  the 


37&  The  Pontificate  of  Pins  IX. 

stains  of  the  martyr's  blood.  Should  the 
desire  of  Pius  IX.  be  gratified,  we  hope 
that  the  piety  and  the  devotion  of  the  Ca- 
tholic world  will  rear  to  his  memory  a 
fitting  monument,  which  to  after-ages  shall 
tell  of  the  only  Pontiff  who  has  exceeded 
the  years  of  Peter,  and  who,  in  that  won- 
derful reign,  has  been  the  intrepid  confes- 
sor for  the  spiritual  and  temporal  rights 
of  the  Vicar  of  Christ. 


APPENDIX. 


> 


P  P  E  N  D  I  X  . 


-♦- 


I.  PAGE 

Dogmatic  Decree  on  Catholic  Faith, 383 

II. 

Dogmatic  Decree  on  the  Church  of  Christ,       .....    421 

III. 

Apostolic    Letter  to   Protestants   and   other   Non-Catholics, 
September  13,  i8£8, 447 


Encyclical  Letter  of  Pius  IX.,  June  4,  1871 453 

V. 

Encyclical  Letter  of  Pius  IX.,  August  5,  1S71, 461 

VI. 
Chronological  Table  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs 467 

VII. 
Eulogium  of  Pius  IX.  by  Mgr.  Mercurelli,  ......    471 

VIII. 

Allocution  of  His  Holiness  Pius  IX.,  March  12, 1877,       .       .       .483 

381 


I. 


CONSTITUTIO    DOGMATICA    DE    FIDE    CATHOLICA. 

{Confirmed  ami  Promulgated  in  the  Third  Public  Session  of  the 
Vatican  Council,  held  in  St.  Peter 's,  Pome,  on 
Low-Sunday,  April  24,  1S70.) 

PIUS     EPISCOPUS     SERVUS     SERVORUM     DEI      SACRO     AP- 

PROBANTE    CONCILIO    AD    PERPETUAM     REI 

MEMORIAM. 

Dei  Filius  et  generis  humani  Redemptor  Dominus 
Noster  Iesus  Christus,  ad  Patrem  coelestem  redi- 
turus,  cum  Ecclesia  sua  in  terris  militante,  omni- 
bus diebus  usque  ad  consummationem  saeculi  futu- 
rum  se  esse  promisit.  Ouare  dilectae  sponsae  praesto 
esse,  adsistere  docenti,  operanti  benedicere,  periclitanti 
opem  ferre  nullo  unquam  tempore  destitit.  Haec  vero 
salutaris  eius  providentia,  cum  ex  aliis  beneficiis  innu- 
meris  continenter  apparuit,  turn  iis  manifestissime  cora- 
perta  est  fructibus.qui  orbi  christiano  e  Conciliis  oecu- 
menicis  ac  nominatim  e  Tridentino,  iniquis  licet  tempori- 
bus  celebrato,  amplissimi  provenerunt.  Hinc  enim  sanc- 
tissima  religionis  dogmata  pressius  definita  uberiusque 
exposita,  errores  damnati  atque  cohibiti  ;  hinc  eccle- 

siastica  disciplina  restituta  iirmiusque  sancita,  promo- 

383 


384  Appendix. 

turn  in  Clero  scientiae  et  pietatis  studium,  parata 
adolescentibus  ad  sacram  militiam  educandis  colle- 
gia, christiani  denique  populi  mores  et  accura- 
tiore  fidelium  eruditione  et  frequentiore  sacramento- 
rum  usu  instaurati.  Hinc  praeterea  arctior  mem- 
brorum  cum  visibili  Capite  communio,  universoque 
corpori  Christi  mystico  additus  vigor ;  hinc  religiosae 
multiplicatae  familiae,  aliaque  christianae  pietatis  in- 
stituta;  hinc  ille  etiam  assiduus  et  usque  ad  sanguinis 
effusionem  constans  ardor  in  Christi  regno  late  per 
orbem  propagando. 

Verumtamen  haec  aliaque  insignia  emolumenta,  quae 
per  ultimam  maxime  oecumenicam  Synodum  divina 
dementia  Ecclesiae  largita  est,  dum  grato,  quo  par  est 
animo  recolimus ;  acerbum  compescere  haud  possumus 
dolorem  ob  mala  gravissima,  inde  potissimum  orta, 
quod  eiusdem  sacrosanctae  Synodi  apud  permultos  vel 
auctoritas  contempta,  vel  sapientissima  neglecta  fuere 
decreta. 

Nemo  enim  ignorat,  haereses,  quas  Tridentini  Patres 
proscripserunt,  dum,  reiecto  divino  Ecclesiae  magiste- 
rio,  res  ad  religionem  spectantes  privati  cuiusvis  iudicio 
permitterentur,  in  sectas  paullatim  dissolutas  esse  mul- 
tiplices,  quibus  inter  se  dissentientibus  et  concertan- 
tibus,  omnis  tandem  in  Christum  fides  apud  non  paucos 
labefactata  est.  Itaque  ipsa  sacra  Biblia,  quae  antea 
christianae  doctrinae  unicus  fons  et  iudex  assereban- 
tur,  iam  non  pro  divinis  haberi,  imo  mythicis  cora- 
mentis  accenseri  coeperunt. 


Appendix,  385 

Turn  nata  est  et  late  nimis  per  orbem  vagata  ilia 
rationalismi  seu  naturalismi  doctrina,  quae  religioni 
christianae  utpote  supernaturali  instituto  per  omnia 
adversans,  summo  studio  molitur,  ut  Christo,  qui  solus 
Dominus  et  Salvator  noster  est,  a  nientibus  humanis, 
a  vita  et  moribus  populorum  excluso,  merae  quod  vo- 
cant  rationis  vel  naturae  regnum  stabiliatur.  Relicta 
autem  proiectaque  Christiana  religione,  negato  vero 
Deo  et  Christo  eius,  prolapsa  tandem  est  multorum 
mens  in  pantheismi,  materialismi,  atheismi  barathrum, 
ut  iam  ipsam  rationalem  naturam,  omnemque  iusti  rec- 
tique  normam  negantes,  ima  humanae  societatis  fun- 
damenta  diruere  connitantur. 

Hac  porro  impietate  circumquaque  grassante,  infelici- 
ter  contigit,  ut  plures  etiam  e  Catholicae  Ecclesiae  filiis  a 
via  verae  pietatis  aberrarent,  in  iisque,  diminutis  paulla- 
tim  veritatibus,  sensus  catholicus  attenuaretur.  Variis 
enim  ac  peregrinis  doctrinis  abducti,  naturam  et  gra- 
tiam,  scientiam  humanam  et  fidem  divinam  perperam 
commiscentes,  genuinum  sensum  dogmatum,  quern 
tenet  ac  docet  Sancta  Mater  Ecclesia,  depravare,  inte- 
gritatemque  et  sinceritatem  fidei  in  periculum  addu- 
cere  comperiuntur. 

Quibus  omnibus  perspectis,  fieri  qui  potest,  ut  non 
commoveantur  intima  Ecclesiae  viscera  ?  Quemadmo- 
dum  enim  Deus  vult  omnes  homines  salvos  fieri,  et  ad 
agnitionem  veritatis  venire  ;  quemadmodum  Christus 
venit,  ut  salvum  faceret,  quod  perierat,  et  filios  Dei, 
qui  erant  dispersi,  congregaret  in  unum  :  ita  Ecclesia, 


386  Appendix. 

a  Deo  populorum  mater  et  magistra  constituta,  omni- 
bus debitricem  se  novit,  ac  lapsos  erigere,  labantes 
sustinere,  revertentes  amplecti,  confirmare  bonos  et 
ad  meliora  provehere  parata  semper  et  intenta  est. 
Quapropter  nullo  tempore  a  Dei  veritate,  quae  sanat 
omnia,  testanda  et  praedicanda  quiescere  potest,  sibi 
dictum  esse  non  ignorans :  Spiritus  meus,  qui  est  in  te, 
et  verba  mea,  quae  posui  in  ore  tuo,  non  recedent  de 
ore  tuo  amodo  et  usque  in  sempiternum.* 

Nos  itaque,  inhaerentes  Praedecessorum  Nostrorum 
vestigiis,  pro  supremo  Nostro  Apostolico  munere 
veritatem  catholicam  docere  ac  tueri,  perversasque 
doctrinas  reprobare  nunquam  intermisimus.  Nunc 
autem  sedentibus  Nobiscum  et  iudicantibus  universi 
orbis  Episcopis,  in  hanc  oecumenicam  Synodum  auc- 
toritate  Nostra  in  Spiritu  Sancto  congregatis,  innixi 
Dei  verbo  scripto  et  tradito,  prout  ab  Ecclesia  Catholica 
sancte  custoditum  et  genuine  expositum  accepimus, 
ex  hac  Petri  Cathedra  in  conspectu  omnium  saluta- 
rem  Christi  doctrinam  profited  et  declarare  constitui- 
mus,  adversis  erroribus  potestate  nobis  a  Deo  tradita 
proscriptis  atque  damnatis. 

♦Is.  lix.  31. 


4ppcndix.  387 


CAPUT  I. 

DE    DEO    RERUM    OMNIUM    CREATORE. 

Sancta  Catholica  Apostolica  Romana  Ecclesia  credit 
et  confitetur,  unum  esse  Deum  verum  et  vivum,  Crea- 
torem  ac  Dominum  coeli  et  terrae,  oinnipotentem, 
aeternum,  immensum,  incomprehensibilem,  intellectu 
ac  voluntate  omnique  perfectione  infinitum  ;  qui  cum 
sit  una  singularis,  simplex  omnino  et  incommutabilis 
substantia  spiritualis,  praedicandus  est  re  et  essentia 
a  mundo  distinctus,  in  se  et  ex  se  beatissimus,  et  super 
omnia,  quae  praeter  ipsum  sunt  et  concipi  possunt,  in- 
effabiliter  excelsus. 

Hie  solus  verus  Deus  bonitate  sua  et  omnipotenti 
virtute  non  ad  augendam  suam  beatitudinem,  nee  ad 
acquirendam,  sed  ad  manifestandam  perfectionem  suam 
per  bona,  quae  creaturis  impertitur,  liberrimo  consilio 
simul  ab  initio  temporis  utramque  de  nihilo  condidit 
creaturam,  spiritualem  et  corporalem,  angelicam  vide- 
licet et  mundanam,  ac  deinde  humanam  quasi  com- 
munem  ex  spiritu  et  corpore  constitutam.* 

Universa  vero,  quae  condidit,  Deus  providentia  sua 
tuetur  atque  gubernat,  attingens  a  fine  usque  ad  finem 
fortiter,  et  disponens  omnia  suaviter.  t     Omnia   enim 

*  Cone.  Later.  IV.  c.  i.  Fir  miter.  t  Sap.  viii.  I. 


388  Appendix. 

nuda  et  aperta  sunt  oculis  eius,  *  ea  etiam,  quae  libera 
creaturarum  actione  futura  sunt. 


CAPUT    II. 


DE    REVELATIONE. 


Eadem  Sancta  Mater  Ecclesia  tenet  et  docet,  Deum, 
rerum  omnium  principium  et  finem,  naturali  humanae 
rationis  lumine  e  rebus  creatis  certo  cognosci  posse  ; 
invisibilia  enim  ipsius,  a  creatura  mundi,  per  ea  quae 
facta  sunt,  intellecta,  conspiciuntur  :t  attamen  pla. 
cuisse,  eius  sapientiae  et  bonitati,  alia,  eaque  superna- 
turali  via  se  ipsum  ac  aeterna  voluntatis  suae  decreta 
humano  generi  revelare,  dicente  Apostolo :  Multifa- 
riam,  multisque  modis  olim  Deus  loquens  patribus  in 
Propbetis:  novissime,  diebus  istis  locutus  est  nobis  in 

Filio.J 

Huic  divinae  revelationi  tribuendum  quidem  est,  ut 
ea,  quae  in  rebus  divinis  humanae  rationi  per  se  imper- 
via  non  sunt,  in  praesenti  quoque  generis  humani 
conditione  ab  omnibus  expedite,  firma  certitudine  et 
nullo  admixto  errore  cognosci  possint.  Non  hac  ta- 
men  de  causa  revelatio  absolute  necessaria  dicenda  est, 
sed  quia  Deus  ex  infinita  bonitate  sua  ordinavit  homi- 

*  Cf.  Hebr  iv.  13.  t  Rom.  i.  so.  %  Hebr.  i.  1,  a. 


Appendix.  389 

nem  ad  finem  supernaturalem,  ad  participanda  scilicet 
bona  divina,  quae  humanae  mentis  intelligentiam  ora- 
nino  superant ;  siquidem  oculus  non  vidit,  nee  auris 
audivit,  nee  in  cor  hominis  ascendit,  quae  praeparavit 
Deus  iis,  qui  diligunt  ilium.* 

Haec  porro  supernaturalis  revelatio,  secundum  uni- 
versalis Ecclesiae  fidem,  a  sancta  Tridentina  Synodo 
declaratam,  continetur  in  libris  scriptis  et  sine  scripto 
traditionibus,  quae  ipsius  Cbristi  ore  ab  Apostolis 
acceptae,  aut  ab  ipsis  Apostolis  Spiritu  Sancto  dictante 
quasi  per  manus  traditae,  ad  nos  usque  pervenerunt.t 
Qui  quidem  veteris  et  novi  Testamenti  libri  integri 
cum  omnibus  suis  partibus,  prout  in  eiusdem  Concihi 
decreto  recensentur,  et  in  veteri  vulgata  latina  editione 
habentur,  pro  sacris  et  canonicis  suscipiendi  sunt. 
Eos  vero  Ecclesia  pro  sacris  et  canonicis  habet,  non 
ideo  quod  sola  humana  industria  concinnati,  suadeinde 
auctoritate  sint  approbati ;  nee  ideo  dumtaxat,  quod 
revelationem  sine  errore  contineant;  sed  propterea 
quod  Spiritu  Sar^eto  inspirante  conscripti  Deum  ha- 
bent  auctorem,  atque  ut  tales  ipsi  Ecclesiae  traditi 
sunt. 

Ouoniam  vero,  quae  sancta  Tridentina  Synodus  de 
interpretatione  divinae  Scripturae  ad  coercenda  petu- 
lantia  ingenia  salubriter  decrevit,  a  quibusdam  homi- 
nibus  prave  exponuntur,  Nos,  idem   decretum    reno- 

*  1  Cor.  ii.  9. 

+  Cone.  Trid.  Sess.  IV.  Deer,  de  Can.  Script. 


39°  Appendix. 

vantes,  hanc  illius  mentem  esse  declaramus,  ut  in 
rebus  fidei  et  morum,  ad  aedificationem  doctrinae 
Christianae  pertinentium,  is  pro  vero  sensu  sacrae 
Scripturae  habendus  sit,  quem  tenuit  ac  tenet  Sancta 
Mater  Ecclesia,  cuius  est  iudicare  de  vero  sensu  et 
interpretatione  Scripturarum  sanctarum  ;  atque  ideo 
nemini  licere  contra  hunc  sensuin,  aut  etiam  contra 
unanimem  consensum  Patrum  ipsam  Scripturam  sa- 
cram  interpretari. 

CAPUT   III. 

DE   FIDE. 

Ouum  homo  a  Deo  tanquam  Creatore  et  Domino  suo 
totus  dependeat,  et  ratio  creata  increatae  Veritati  peni- 
tus  subiecta  sit,  plenum  revelanti  Deo  intellectus  et 
voluntatis  obsequium  fide  praestare  tenemur.  Hanc 
vero  fidem,  quae  humanae  salutis  initium  est,  Ecclesia 
catholica  profitetur,  virtutem  esse  supernaturalem, 
qua,  Dei  aspirante  et  adiuvante  gratia,  ab  eo  revelata 
vera  esse  credimus,  non  propter  intrinsecam  rerum 
veritatem  naturali  rationis  lumine  perspectam,  se& 
propter  auctoritatem  ipsius  Dei  revelantis,  qui  nee 
falli  nee  fallere  potest.  Est  enim  fides,  testante  Apos- 
tolo,  sperandarum  substantia  rerum,  argumentum  non 
apparentium.* 

*  Hebr.  xi.  i. 


Appendix.  3  9 1 

Ut  nihilominus  fidei  nostrae  obsequium  rationi  con- 
sentaneum  esset,  voluit  Deus  cum  internis  Spiritus 
Sancti  luxiliis  externa  iungi  revelationis  suae  argu- 
menta,  facta  scilicet  divina,  atque  imprimis  miracula  et 
prophetias,  quae  cum  Dei  omnipotentiam  et  infinitam 
scientiam  luculenter  commonstrent,  divinae  revela- 
tionis signa  sunt  certissima  et  omnium  intelligentiae 
accommodata.  Ouare  turn  Moyses  et  Prophetae,  turn 
ipse  maxime  Christus  Dominus  multa  et  manifestissi- 
ma  miracula  et  prophetias  ediderunt;  et  de  Apostolis 
legimus :  II 1  i  autem  profecti  praedicaverunt  ubique, 
Domino  co-operante,  et  sermonem  confirmante,  se- 
quentibus  signis.*  Et  rursum  scriptum  est :  Habemus 
firmiorem  propheticum  sermonem,  cui  bene  facitis  at- 
tendentes  quasi  lucernae  lucenti  in  caliginoso  loco.t 

Licet  autem  fidei  assensus  nequaquam  sit  motus 
animi  caecus:  nemo  tamen  evangelicae  praedicationi 
consentire  potest,  sicut  oportet  ad  salutem  consequen- 
dam,  absque  illuminatione  et  inspiratione  Spiritus 
Sancti,  qui  dat  omnibus  suavitatem  in  consentiendo  et 
credendo  veritati.J  Ouare  fides  ipsa  in  se,  etiamsi  per 
charitatem  nun  operetur,  donum  Dei  est,  et  actus  eius 
est  opus  ad  salutem  pertinens,  quo  homo  liberam 
praestat  ipsi  Deo  obedientiam,  gratiae  eius,  cui  resis- 
tere  posset,  consentiendo  et  cooperando. 

Porro  fide  divina  et  catholica  ea  omnia  credenda 
sunt,  quae  in  verbo  Dei  scriptovel  tradito  continentur, 

*  Marc.  xvi.  20.  i?  Petr.  i.  19.  %  Syn.  Araus.  II,  can.  7. 


39 2  Appendix. 

et  ab  Ecclesia  sive  solemni  iudicio  sive  ordinario  et 
universali  magisterio  tamquam  divinitus  revelata  cre- 
denda  proponuntur. 

Ouoniam  vero  sine  fide  impossibile  est  placere  Deo, 
et  ad  filiorum  eius  consortium  pervenire;  ideo  nemini 
unquam  sine  ilia  contigit  iustificatio,  nee  ulius,  nisi  in 
ea  perseveraverit  usque  in  finem,  vitam  aeternam 
assequetur.  Ut  autem  officio  veram  fidem  amplecten- 
di,  in  eaque  constanter  perseverandi  satisfacere  posse- 
raus,  Deus  per  Filium  suum  unigenitum  Ecclesiam 
instituit,  suaeque  institutionis  manifestis  notis  in- 
struxit,  ut  ea  tamquam  custos  et  magistra  verbi  reve- 
lati  ab  omnibus  posset  agnosci.  Ad  solam  enim  catho- 
licam  Ecclesiam  ea  pertinent  omnia,  quae  ad  evidentem 
fidei  christianae  credibilitatem  tarn  multa  et  tarn  mira 
divinitus  sunt  disposita.  Quin  etiam  Ecclesia  per  se 
ipsa,  ob  suam  nempe  admirabilem  propagationem,  ex- 
imiam  sanctitatem  et  inexbaustam  in  omnibus  bonis 
foecunditatem,  ob  catholicam  unitatem,  invictamque 
stabilitatem,  magnum  quoddam  et  perpetuum  est  mo- 
tivum  credibilitatis  et  divinae  suae  legationis  testimo- 
nium irrefragabile. 

Quo  fit,  ut  ipsa  veluti  signum  levatum  in  nationes,* 
et  ad  se  invitet,  qui  nondum  crediderunt,  et  Alios  suos 
certiores  faciat,  firmissimo  niti  fundamento  fidem, 
quam  profitentur.  Cui  quidem  testimonio  efficax  sub- 
sidium  accedit  ex  superna  virtute.     Etenim  benignissi- 

*  Is.  xi.  12. 


Appendix.  393 

tnus  Dominus  ct  crrantes  gratia  sua  excitat  atque 
adiuvat,  ut  ad  agnitionem  veritatis  venire  possint  ; 
et  eos,  quos  de  tenebris  transtulit  in  admirabile  lumen 
suuin,  in  hoc  eodem  lumine  ut  perseverent,  gratia  su-a 
confirmat,  non  deserens,  nisi  deseratur.  Quocirca 
minitne  par  est  conditio  eorum,  qui  per  coeleste  fidei 
donum  catholicae  veritati  adhaeserunt,  atque  eorum, 
qui  ducti  opinionibus  humanis,  falsam  religionem  sec- 
tantur  ;  illi  enim,  qui  tidem  sub  Ecclesiae  magisterio 
susceperunt,  nullam  unquam  habere  possunt  iustam 
causam  mutandi,  aut  in  dubium  fidem  eamdem  revo- 
candi.  Quae  cum  ita  sint,  gratias  agentes  Deo  Patri, 
qui  dignos  nos  fecit  in  partem  sortis  sanctorum  in 
lumine,  tantam  ne  negligamus  salutem,  sed  aspicientes 
in  auctorem  fidei  et  consummatorem  Iesum,  teneamus 
spei  nostrae  confessionem  indeclinabilem. 

CAPUT   IV. 

DE  FIDE    ET    RATIONE. 

Hoc  quoque  perpetuus  Ecclesiae  Catholicae  consen- 
sus tenuit  et  tenet,  duplicem  esse  ordinem  cognitionis, 
non  solum  principio,  sed  obiecto  etiam  distinctum  : 
principio  quidem,  quia  in  altero  naturali  ratione,  in 
altero  fide  divina  cognoscimus  ;  obiecto  autem,  quia 
praeter  ea,  ad  quae  naturalis  ratio  pertingere  potest, 
credenda  nobis  proponuntur  mysteria  in  Deo  abscon- 
dita,   quae,    nisi    revelata    divinitus,    innotescere   non 


394  Appendix. 

possunt.  Quocirca  Apostolus,  qui  a  gcntibus  Deum 
per  ea,  quae  facta  sunt,  cognitum  esse  testatur,  dis- 
serens  tamen  de  gratia  et  veritate,  quae  per  Iesum 
Christum  facta  est,*  pronuntiat:  Loquimur  Dei  sapien- 
tiam  in  mysterio,  quae  abscondita  est,  quam  praedes- 
tinavit  Deus  ante  saecula  in  gloriam  nostram,  quam 
nemo  principum  huius  saeculi  cognovit :  nobis  autem 
revelavit  Deus  per  Spiritum  suum  :  Spiritus  enim  om- 
nia scrutatur,  etiam  profunda  Dei.t  Et  ipse  Unigeni- 
tus  confitetur  Patri,  quia  abscondit  haec  a  sapientibus 
et  prudentibus,  et  revelavit  ea  parvulis.}: 

Ac  ratio  quidem,  fide  illustrata,  cum  sedulo,  pie  et 
sobrie  quaerit,  aliquam,  Deo  dante,  mysteriorum  intel- 
ligentiam  eamque  fructuosissimam  assequitur,  turn  ex 
eorum,  quae  naturaliter  cognoscit,  analogia,  turn  e 
mysteriorum  ipsorum  nexu  inter  se  et  cum  fine  homi- 
nis  ultimo;  nunquam  tamen  idonea  redditur  ad  ea 
perspicienda  instar  veritatum.  qua  proprium  ipsius 
obiectum  constituunt.  Divina  enim  mysteria  suapte 
natura  intellectum  creatum  sic  excedunt,  ut  etiam  re- 
velatione  tradita  et  fide  suscepta,  ipsius  tamen  fidei 
velamine  contecta  et  quadam  quasi  caligine  obvoluta 
maneant,  quamdiu  in  hac  mortali  vita  peregrinamur  a 
Domino :  per  fidem  enim  ambulamus,  et  non  per  spe- 
ciem.  § 

Verum  etsi  fides  sit  supra  rationem,  nulla  tamen 
unquam  inter  fidem  et  rationem  vera  dissensio  esse 
potest :  cum  idem  Deus,  qui  mysteria  revelat  et  fidem 

•loan.  i.  17.         +  1  Cor.  ii.  7,  8, 10.         %  Matth.  xi.  25.         §2  Cor.  v.  6,7. 


Appendix.  395 

infundit,  animo  humano  rationis  lumen  indiderit;  Deus 
autem  negare  seipsum  non  possit,  nee  verum  vero  un- 
quam  contradicere.  Inanis  autem  huius  contradictionis 
species  inde  potissimum  oritur,  quod  vel  fidei  dogmata 
ad  men  tern  Ecclesiae  intellecta  et  exposita  non  fuerint, 
vel  opinionum  commenta  pro  rationis  effatis  habean- 
tur.  Omnem  igitur  assertionem  veritati  illuminatae 
iidei  contrariam  omnino  falsam  esse  definimus.*  Porro 
Ecclesia,  quae  una  cum  apostolico  munere  docendi, 
mandatum  accepit,  fidei  depositum  custodiendi,  ius 
etiam  et  officium  divinitus  habet  falsi  nominis  scien- 
tiam  proscribendi,  ne  quis  decipiatur  per  philosophiam, 
et  inanem  fallaciam.t  Quapropter  omnes  christiani 
fideles  huiusmodi  opiniones,  quae  fidei  doctrinae  con- 
trariae  esse  cognoscuntur,  maxime  si  ab  Ecclesia  re- 
probatae  fuerint,  non  solum  prohibentur  tanquam  legi- 
timas  scientiae  conclusiones  defendere,  sed  pro  errori- 
bus  potius,  qui  fallacem  veritatis  speciem  prae  se  fe- 
rant,  habere  tenentur  omnino. 

Neque  solum  fides  et  ratio  inter  se  dissidere  nun- 
quam  possunt,  sed  opem  quoque  sibi  mutuam  ferunt, 
cum  recta  ratio  fidei  fundamenta  demonstret,  eiusque 
lumine  illustrata  rerum  divinarum  scientiam  excolat  ; 
fides  vero  rationem  ab  erroribus  liberet  ac  tueatur, 
eamque  multiplici  cognitione  instruat.  Quapropter  tan- 
Sum  abest,  ut  Ecclesia  humanarum  artium  et  disciplina- 
•uin  culturae  obsistat,  ut  hanc  multis  modis  iuvet  atque 

*  Cone.  Lat.  V.  Bulla  Apostolizi  regiminis. 
t  Coloss.  11.  8. 


29  6  Appendix. 

promoveat.  Non  enim  commoda  ab  iis  ad  hominum 
vitam  dimanantia  aut  ignorat  autdespicit;  fatetur  imo, 
eas,  quemadmodum  a  Deo,  scientiarum  Domino,  pro- 
fectae  sunt,  ita  si  rite  pertractentur,  ad  Deum,  iuvante 
eius  gratia,  perducere.  Nee  sane  ipsa  vetat,  ne  huius- 
modi  disciplinae  in  suo  quaeque  ambitu  propriis  utan- 
tur  principiis  et  propria  methodo  ;  sed  iustam  banc 
libertatem  agnoscens,  id  sedulo  cavet,  ne  divinae  doc- 
trinae  repugnando  errores  in  se  suscipiant,  aut  fines 
proprios  transgressae,  ea,  quae  sunt  fidei,  occupent 
et  perturbent. 

Neque  enim  fidei  doctrina,  quam  Deus  revelavit, 
velut  philosophicum  inventum  proposita  est  humanis 
ingeniis  perficienda,  sed  tanquam  divinum  depositum 
Christi  Sponsae  tradita,  fidebter  custodienda  et  infalli- 
bility declaranda.  Hinc  sacrorum  quoque  dogmatum 
is  sensus  perpetuo  est  retinendus,  quern  semel  decla- 
ravit  Sancta  Mater  Ecclesia,  nee  unquam  ab  eo  sensu, 
altioris  intelligence  specie  et  nomine,  recedendum. 
Crescat  igitur  et  multum  vehementerque  proficiat, 
tarn  singulorum,  quam  omnium,  tarn  unius  hominis^ 
quam  totius  Ecclesiae,  aetatum  ac  saeculorum  gradi- 
bus,  intelligentia,  scientia,  sapientia  :  sed  in  suo  dum- 
taxat  genere,  in  eodem  scilicet  dogmate,  eodem  sensu, 
eademque  sententia* 

*Vinc.  Lir.  Common,  n.  28 


Appendix.  397 

CANONES. 
I. 

DE  DEO   RERUM   OMNIUM   CREATORE. 

i.  Si  quis  unum  verum  Deum  visibilium  et  invi- 
sibilium  Creatorem  et  Dominum  negaverit ;  anathema 
sit. 

2.  Si  quis  praeter  materiam  nihil  esse  affirmare  non 
erubuerit;  anathema  sit. 

3.  Si  quis  dixerit,  unam  eandemque  esse  Dei  et 
rerum  omnium  substantiam  vel  essentiam  ;  anathema 
sit. 

4.  Si  quis  dixerit,  res  finitas,  turn  corporeas  turn  spi- 
rituals, aut  saltern  spirituales,  e  divina  substantia 
emanasse  ; 

aut  divinam  essentiam  sui  manifestatione  vel  evolu- 
tione  fieri  omnia  ; 

aut  denique  Deum  esse  ens  universale  seu  indefini- 
tum,  quod  sese  determinando  constituat  rerum  uni- 
versitatem  in  genera,  species  et  individua  distinctam  ; 
anathema  sit. 

5.  Si  quis  non  confiteatur,  mundum,  resque  omnes, 
quae  in  eo  continentur,  et  spirituales  et  materiales, 
secundum  totam  suam  substantiam  a  Deo  ex  nihilo 
esse  productas  ; 

aut  Deum  dixerit  non  voluntate  ab  omni  necessitate 


t 


98  Appendix. 


libera,  sed  tam  necessario   creasse,    quam   necessario 
amat  seipsum  ; 

aut  mundum  ad  Dei  gloriam  conditum  esse  negave- 
rit ;  anathema  sit. 


II. 


DE   REVELATIONE. 


i.  Si  quis  dixerit,  Deum  unum  et  verum,  Creatorem 
et  Dominum  nostrum,  per  ea,  quae  facta  sunt,  naturali 
rationis  humanae  lumine  certo  cognosci  non  posse; 
anathema  sit. 

2.  Si  quis  dixerit,  fieri  non  posse,  aut  non  expedire, 
ut  per  revelationem  divinam  homo  de  Deo,  cultuque 
ei  exhibendo  edoceatur  ;  anathema  sit. 

3.  Si  quis  dixerit,  hominem  ad  cognitionem  et  per- 
fectionem,  quae  naturalem  superet,  divinitus  evehi 
non  posse,  sed  ex  seipso  ad  omnis  tandem  veri  et  boni 
possessionem  iugi  profectu  pertingere  posse  et  debere  ; 
anathema  sit. 

4.  Si  quis  sacrae  Scripturae  libros  integros  cum  om- 
nibus suis  partibus,  prout  illos  sancta  Tridentina  Sy- 
nodus  recensuit,  pro  sacris  et  canon  icis  non  susceperit, 
aut  eos  divinitus  inspiratos  esse  negaverit;  anathems 
sit. 


Appendix.  399 

III. 

DE    FIDE. 

i.  Si  quis  dixerit,  rationem  humanam  ita  indepen- 
dentem  esse,  ut  fides  ei  a  Deo  imperari  non  possit ; 
anathema  sit. 

2.  Si  quis  dixerit,  fidem  divinam  a  naturali  de  Deo 
et  rebus  moralibus  scientia  non  distingui,  ac  propterea 
ad  fidem  divinam  non  requiri,  ut  revelata  Veritas 
propter  auctoritatem  Dei  revelantis  credatur;  anathe- 
ma sit. 

3.  Si  quis  dixerit,  revelationem  divinam  externis 
signis  credibilem  fieri  non  posse,  ideoque  sola  interna 
cuiusque  experientia  aut  inspiratione  privata  homines 
ad  fidem  moveri  debere  ;  anathema  sit. 

4.  Si  quis  dixerit,  miracula  nulla  fieri  posse,  proin- 
deque  omnes  de  iis  narrationes,  etiam  in  sacra  Scrip- 
tura  contentas,  inter  fabulas  vel  ir^thos  ablegandas 
esse  ;  aut  miracula  certo  cognosci  nunquam  posse,  nee 
iis  divinam  religionis  christianae  originem  rite  probari , 
anathema  sit. 

5.  Si  quis  dixerit,  assensum  fidei  christianae  non 
esse  liberum,  sed  argumentis  humanae  rationis  neces- 
sario  produci ;  aut  ad  solam  fidem  vivam,  quae  per 
charitatem  operatur,  gratiam  Dei  necessariam  esse ; 
anathema  sit. 

6.  Si  quis  dixerit,  parem  esse  conditionem  fidelium 
atque  eorum,  qui  ad  fidem  unice  veram  nondum  per- 


4-00  Appendix. 

venerunt,  ita  ut  catholici  iustam  causam  habere  pos- 
sint,  fidem,  quam  sub  Ecclesiae  magisterio  iam  susce- 
perunt,  assensu  suspenso  in  dubiam  vocandi,  donee 
demonstrationem  scientificam  credibilitatis  et  veritatis 
fidei  suae  absolverint ;  anathema  sit. 


IV. 


DE   FIDE   ET   RATIONE. 

i.  Si  quis  dixerit,  in  revelatione  divina  nulla  vera  et 
proprie  dicta  mysteria  contineri,  sed  universa  fidei 
dogmata  posse  per.  rationem  rite  excultam  e  naturali- 
bus  principiis  intelligi  et  demonstrari  ;  anathema  sit 

2.  Si  quis  dixerit,  disciplinas  humanas  ea  cum  liber- 
tate  tractandas  esse,  ut  earum  assertiones,  etsi  doc- 
trinae  revelatae  adversentur,  tanquam  verae  retineri, 
neque  ab  Ecclesia  proscribi  possint ;  anathema  sit. 

3.  Si  quis  dixerit,  fieri  posse,  ut  dogmatibus  ab  Ec- 
clesia propositis,  aliquando  secundum  progressum 
scientiae  sensus  tribuendus  sit  alius  ab  eo,  quern  intel- 
lexit  et  intelligit  Ecclesia  ;  anathema  sit. 

Itaque  supremi  pastoralis  Nostri  officii  debitum  exe- 
quentes,  omnes  Christi  fideles,  maxime  vero  eos,  qui 
praesunt  vel  docendi  munere  funguntur,  per  viscera 
Iesu  Christi  obtestamur,  nee  non  eiusdem  Dei  et 
Salvatoris  nostri  auctoritate  iubemus,  ut  ad  hos 
errores   a   Sancta   Ecclesia   arcendos  et    eliminandos, 


Appendix.  40 1 

atque    purissimae  fidei  luccm  pandendam  studium  et 
operam  conferant. 

Quoniam  vero  satis  non  est,  haereticam  pravitatem 
devitare,  nisi  K  quoque  errores  diligenter  fugiantur, 
qui  ad  illam  plus  minusve  accedunt ;  omnes  officii 
monemus,  servandi  etiam  Constitutiones  et  Decreta, 
quibus  pravae  eiusmodi  opiniones,  quae  isthic  diserte 
non  enumerantur,  ab  hac  Sancta  Sede  proscriptae  et 
prohibitae  sunt. 


A  DOGMATIC  DECREE  ON  CATHOLIC  FAITH.* 

PIUS,  BISHOP,  SERVANT  OF  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD, 
WITH  THE  APPROBATION  OF  THE  HOLY  COUNCIL, 
FOR    A    PERPETUAL    REMEMBRANCE    HEREOF. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  and  the 
Redeemer  of  mankind,  when  about  to  return  to  his 
heavenly  Father,  promised  that  he  would  be  with  his 
church  militant  on  earth,  all  days  even  to  the  consum- 
mation of  the  world.  Wherefore,  he  has  never  at  any 
time  failed  to  be  with  his  beloved  spouse,  to  assist  her 
in  her  teaching,  to  bless  her  in  her  labors,  to  aid  her 
in  danger.  And  this  his  saving  providence,  unceasingly 
displayed  in  countless  other  blessings,  is  most  clearly 
made  manifest  by  those  very  abundant  fruits  which 
have  come  to  the  Christian  world  from  oecumenical 
councils,  and  especially  from  that  of  Trent,  although 

*  Translation  of  The  Catholic  World. 


402  Appendix. 

it  was  held  in  evil  days.  For  thereby  the  holy  doc- 
trine?  of  religion  were  more  distinctly  denned  and 
more  fully  set  forth  ;  errors  were  condemned  and  re- 
strained ;  thereby  ecclesiastical  discipline  was  restored 
and  more  firmly  established  ;  zeal  for  learning  and  piety 
was  promoted  among  the  clergy ;  and  colleges  were 
provided  for  the  training  of  young  men  for  the  sacred 
ministry;  and  finally,  the  practice  of  Christian  morali- 
ty was  restored  among  the  people  by  more  careful  in- 
struction and  a  more  frequent  use  of  the  sacraments. 
Hence  arose,  likewise,  a  closer  union  of  the  members 
with  the  visible  head,  and  renewed  strength  to  the 
entire  mystical  body  of  Christ ;  hence  the  increased 
number  of  religious  communities,  and  of  other  institu- 
tions of  Christian  piety  ;  hence,  also,  that  unceasing 
zeal,  constant  even  to  martyrdom,  to  spread  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  throughout  the  world. 

Nevertheless,  while  with  becoming  gratitude  we  call 
to  mind  these  and  the  many  other  remarkable  benefits 
which  the  goodness  of  God  has  bestowed  on  the  church 
chiefly  through  the  last  oecumenical  council,  we  can- 
not suppress  our  bitter  sorrow  for  the  grievous  evils 
which  have  chiefly  sprung  from  many  having  despised 
the  authority  of  the  aforesaid  sacred  council,  or  hav- 
ing neglected  to  observe  its  most  wise  decrees. 

For  it  is  known  to  all  that  the  heresies  which  the 
fathers  of  Trent  condemned,  and  which  rejected  the 
divine  authority  of  the  church  to  teach,  and,  instead, 
subjected  all  things  belonging  to  religion  to  the  judg- 
ment of  each  individual,  were,  in  course  of  time,  broken 


Appendix.  403 

up  into  many  sects  ;  and  that,  as  these  differed  and 
disputed  with  each  other,  it  came  to  pass,  at  length, 
that  all  belief  in  Christ  was  overthrown  in  the  minds 
of  not  a  few.  And  so,  the  sacred  Scriptures  them- 
selves, which  they  had  at  first  held  up  as  the  only 
source  and  judge  of  Christian  doctrine,  were  no  longer 
held  as  divine,  but,  on  the  contrary,  began  to  be 
counted  among  myths  and  fables. 

Then  arose  and  spread  too  widely  through  the  world 
that  doctrine  of  rationalism  or  naturalism,  which,  at- 
tacking Christianity  at  every  point  as  being  a  super- 
natural institution,  labors  with  all  its  might  to  exclude 
Christ,  who  is  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  from  the  minds 
of  men  and  from  the  life  and  the  morals  of  nations  ; 
and  so  to  establish,  instead,  the  reign  of  mere 
reason,  as  they  call  it,  or  of  nature.  And  thus, 
having  forsaken  and  cast  away  the  Christian  religion, 
having  denied  the  true  God  and  his  Christ,  the  minds 
of  many  have  at  last  fallen  into  the  abyss  of  panthe- 
ism, materialism,  and  atheism  ;  so  that  now,  repudiat- 
ing the  reasoning  nature  of  man,  and  every  rule  of 
right  and  wrong,  they  are  laboring  to  overthrow  the 
very  foundations  of  human  society. 

Moreover,  as  this  impious  doctrine  is  spreading 
everywhere,  it  has  unfortunately  come  to  pass  that 
not  a  few  even  of  the  children  of  the  Catholic  Church 
have  wandered  from  the  way  of  true  piety ;  and  as 
the  truth  gradually  decayed  in  their  minds,  the  catho- 
lic sentiment  grew  fainter  in  them.      For,  being  led 


404  Appendix. 

away  by  various  and  strange  doctrines,  and  wrongly 
confounding  nature  and  grace,  human  science  and 
divine  faith,  they  have  perverted  the  true  sense  of  the 
doctrines  which  our  holy  mother  the  church  holds 
and  teaches,  and  have  endangered  the  integrity  and 
the  purity  of  faith. 

Now,  looking  at  all  these  things,  how  can  the 
church  fail  to  be  moved  in  her  innermost  heart? 
For  inasmuch  as  God  wills  all  men  to  be  saved  and 
to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  inasmuch  as 
Christ  came  to  save  that  which  was  lost,  and  to  gather 
together  in  one  the  children  of  God  that  were  dispers- 
ed ;  so  the  church,  established  by  God  as  the  mother 
and  mistress  of  nations,  feels  that  she  is  a  debtor  unto 
all,  and  is  ever  ready  and  earnest  to  raise  up  the 
fallen,  to  strengthen  the  weak,  to  take  to  her  bosom 
those  that  return,  and  to  confirm  the  good,  and  carry 
them  on  to  better  things.  Wherefore,  at  no  time  can 
she  abstain  from  bearing  witness  to  and  preaching 
the  all-healing  truth  of  God  ;  knowing  that  it  has  been 
said  to  her,  "My  spirit  that  is  in  thee,  and  my  words 
that  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out 
of  thy  mouth,  from  henceforth  and  for  ever  "  (Isa. 
lix.  21). 

Wherefore,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  our  pre- 
decessors, and  in  fulfilment  of  our  supreme  apostolic 
duty,  we  have  never  omitted  to  teach  and  to  protect  the 
catholic  truth,  and  to  reprove  perverse  teachings. 
And  now,  the  bishops  of  the  whole  world  being  gath- 


Appendix.  405 

ered  together  in  this  oecumenical  council  by  our  au- 
thority, and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  sitting  therein 
and  judging  with  us,  we,  guided  by  the  word  of  God, 
both  written  and  handed  down  by  tradition,  as  we 
have  received  it,  sacredly  preserved  and  truly  set 
forth  by  the  Catholic  Church,  have  determined  to 
profess  and  declare  from  this  chair  of  Peter,  and  in 
the  sight  of  all,  the  saving  doctrine  of  Christ ;  and  in 
the  power  given  to  us  from  God  to  proscribe  and 
condemn  the  opposing  errors. 

CHAPTER   I. 

OF  GOD  THE  CREATOR  OF  ALL  THINGS. 

The  Holy,  Catholic,  Apostolic,  Roman  Church  be- 
lieves and  confesses  that  there  is  one  true  and  living: 
God,  Creator  and  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  almighty, 
eternal,  immense,  incomprehensible,  infinite  in  under- 
standing and  will  and  in  all  perfection,  who,  being  a 
spiritual  substance,  one,  single,  absolutely  simple  and 
unchangeable,  must  be  held  to  be,  in  reality  and  in 
essence,  distinct  from  the  world,  in  himself  and  of 
himself  perfectly  happy,  and  unspeakably  exalted 
above  all  things  that  are  or  can  be  conceived  besides 
himself. 

This  one  only  true  God,  of  his  own  goodness  and 
almighty  power,  not  to  increase  his  own  happiness, 
nor  to  acquire  for  himself  perfection,  but  in  order  to 


4°6  Appendix. 

manifest  the  same  by  means  of  the  good  things  which 
he  imparts  to  creatures,  did,  of  his  own  most  free 
counsel,  "from  the  beginning  of  time  make  alike  out 
of  nothing  two  created  natures,  a  spiritual  one  and  a 
corporeal  one,  the  angelic,  to  wit,  and  the  earthly  ; 
and  afterward  he  made  the  human  nature,  as  partaking 
of  both,  being  composed  of  spirit  and  body."  (Fourth 
Lateran  Council,  ch.  i.  Fir  miter?)  Moreover,  God  by 
his  Providence  protects  and  governs  all  things  which 
he  has  made,"  reaching  from  end  to  end  mightily,  and 
ordering  all  things  sweetly"  (Wisdom  viii.  i).  For 
all  things  are  naked  and  open  to  his  eyes  (Heb.  iv. 
13),  even  those  which  are  to  come  to  pass  by  the  free 
action  of  creatures. 

CHAPTER   II. 

OF    REVELATION. 

The  same  holy  mother  church  holds  and  teaches 
that  God,  the  beginning  and  end  of  all  things,  can  be 
known  with  certainty  through  created  things  by  the 
natural  light  of  human  reason  ;  "  for  the  invisible  things 
of  him,  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  are  clearly  seen, 
being  understood  by  the  things  that  are  made  "  (Ro- 
mans i.  20);  but  that  nevertheless  it  has  pleased  his 
wisdom  and  goodness  to  reveal  to  mankind  by  another, 
and  that  a  supernatural  way,  himself  and  the  eternal 
decrees  of  his  will  ;  even  as  the  apostle  says,  "  God, 
who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners   spoke,  in 


Appendix.  407 

times  past,  to  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  last  of  all, 
in  these  days  hath  spoken  to  us  by  his  Son  "  (Heb.  i. 
1,  2).  To  this  divine  revelation  is  it  to  be  ascribed  that 
things  regarding  God,  which  are  not  of  themselves 
beyond  the  grasp  of  human  reason,  may,  even  in  the 
present  condition  of  the  human  race,  be  known  by  all, 
readily,  with  full  certainty  and  without  any  admixture 
of  error.  Yet  not  on  this  account  is  revelation  abso- 
lutely necessary,  but  because  God,  of  his  infinite  good- 
ness, has  ordained  man  for  a  supernatural  end,  for  the 
participation,  that  is,  of  divine  goods,  which  altogether 
surpass  the  understanding  of  the  human  mind  ;  for 
"  eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  what  things  God  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  him  "  (i  Cor.  ii.  9). 

Now,  this  supernatural  revelation,  according  to  the 
belief  of  the  universal  church,  as  declared  by  the  holy 
Council  of  Trent,  is  contained  in  the  written  books 
and  in  the  unwritten  traditions  which  have  come  to  us 
as  received  orally  from  Christ  himself  by  the  apos- 
tles, or  handed  down  from  the  apostles  taught  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  (Council  of  Trent,  Session  IV.,  Decree 
on  the  Canon  of  Scripture.)  And  these  books  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments  are  to  be  received  as  sacred 
and  canonical,  in  their  integrity  and  with  all  their 
parts,  as  they  are  enumerated  in  the  decree  of  the 
same  Council,  and  are  had  in  the  old  Vulgate  Latin 
edition.  But  the  church  does  hold  them  as  sacred 
and  canonical,  not  for  the  reason  that  they  have  been 


408  Appendix. 

compiled  by  human  industry  alone,  and  afterward 
approved  by  her  authority  ;  nor  only  because  they 
contain  revelation  without  error,  but  because,  having 
been  written  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
they  have  God  for  their  author,  and  as  such  have  been 
delivered  to  the  church  herself. 

And  since  those  things  which  the  Council  of  Trent 
has  declared  by  wholesome  decrees  concerning  the 
interpretation  of  divine  Scripture,  in  order  to  restrain 
restless  spirits,  are  explained  by  some  in  a  Avrong 
sense  ;  we,  renewing  the  same  decree,  declare  this  to 
be  the  mind  of  the  Synod,  that,  in  matlers  of  faith  and 
morals  which  pertain  to  the  edification  of  Christian 
doctrine,  that  is  to  be  held  as  the  true  sense  of  the 
sacred  Scripture  which  holy  mother  church,  to  wnom 
it  belongs  to  judge  of  the  true  sense  and  interpreta- 
tion of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  has  held  and  holds  ;  and 
therefore  that  no  one  may  interpret  the  sacred  Scrip- 
ture contrary  to  this  sense,  or  contrary  to  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  fathers. 

CHAPTER    III. 

OF     FAITH. 

Forasmuch  as  man  totally  depends  on  God  as  his 
Creator  and  Lord,  and  created  reason  is  wholly  sub- 
ject to  the  uncreated  truth,  therefore  we  are  bound, 
when  God  makes  a  revelation,  to  render  to  him  the 


Appendix.  409 

full  obedience  of  our  understanding  and  will,  by  faitb. 
And  this  faith,  which  is  the  beginning  of  man's  salva- 
tion, the  church  declares  to  be  a  supernatural  virtue, 
whereby,  under  the  inspiration  and  aid  of  God's  grace, 
we  believe  to  be  true  the  things  revealed  by  him,  not 
for  their  intrinsic  truth  seen  by  the  natural  light  of 
reason,  but  for  the  authority  of  God  revealing  them, 
who  can  neither  deceive  nor  be  deceived.  For  faith, 
as  the  apostle  witnesseth,  is  the  substance  of  things 
to  be  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  that  appear 
not  (Heb.  xi.  1). 

To  the  end,  nevertheless,  that  the  obedience  of  our 
faith  might  be  agreeable  to  reason,  God  willed  to  join 
unto  the  interior  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  external 
proofs  of  his  revelation,  to  wit,  divine  works,  and 
chiefly  miracles  and  prophecies,  which,  as  they  mani- 
festly show  forth  the  omnipotence  and  the  infinite 
knowledge  of  God,  are  proofs  most  certain  of  divine 
revelation,  and  suited  to  the  understanding  of  all. 
Wherefore  both  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and,  above 
all,  Christ  our  Lord  himself,  wrought  many  and  most 
evident  miracles,  and  uttered  prophesies  ;  and  of  the 
apostles  we  read,  "  But  they  going  forth  preached 
everywhere  :  the  Lord  working  withal,  and  confirming 
the  word  with  signs  that  followed  "  (Mark  xvi.  20). 
And  again  it  is  written,  "  We  have  the  more  firm  pro- 
phetical word  ;  whereunto  you  do  well  to  attend,  as 
to  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place  "  (2  Pet.  i.  19). 

Yet  although  the  assent  of  faith  is  not  by  any  means 


4io  Appendix. 

a  blind  movement  of  the  mind  ;  nevertheless,  no  one 
can  believe  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  such  wise 
as  behooveth  to  salvation  without  the  light  and  inspira- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  giveth  unto  all  sweetness 
in  yielding  to  the  truth  and  believing  it.  (Second  Council 
of  Orange,  Can.  7.)  Wherefore  faith  in  itself,  even 
though  it  be  not  working  by  charity,  is  a  gift  of  God  ; 
and  an  act  of  faith  is  a  work  tending  to  salvation, 
whereby  man  renders  free  obedience  to  God  himself, 
consenting  to  and  co-operating  with  his  grace,  which 
he  hath  power  to  resist. 

Now,  all  those  things  are  to  be  believed  of  divine 
and  catholic  faith  which  are  contained  in  the  word  of 
God,  whether  written  or  handed  down  by  tradition; 
and  which  the  church,  either  by  solemn  decree  or  by 
her  ordinary  and  universal  teaching,  proposes  for  be- 
lief as  revealed  by  God. 

And  whereas  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God,  and  to  come  to  the  fellowship  of  his  children, 
therefore  hath  no  one  at  any  time  been  justified  with- 
out faith  ;  nor  shall  any  one,  unless  he  persevere  there- 
in unto  the  end,  attain  everlasting  life.  And  in  order 
that  we  might  be  able  to  fulfil  our  duty  of  embracing 
the  true  faith,  and  of  steadfastly  persevering  therein, 
God,  through  his  only-begotten  Son,  did  establish  the 
church  and  place  upon  her  manifest  marks  of  his 
institution,  that  all  men  might  be  able  to  recognize 
her  as  the  guardian  and  teacher  of  his  revealed  word. 
For  only  to  the  Catholic  Church  do  all  those  signs 


Appendix.  4 1 1 

belong,  which  have  been  divinely  disposed,  so  many 
in  number  and  so  wonderful  in  character,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  evident  the  credibility  of  the  Christian 
faith  ;  nay,  more,  the  very  church  herself,  in  view  of 
her  wonderful  propagation,  her  eminent  holiness,  and 
her  exhaustless  fruitfulness  in  all  that  is  good,  her 
catholic  unity,  her  unshaken  stability,  offers  a  great 
and  evident  claim  to  belief,  and  an  undeniable  proof 
of  her  divine  commission. 

Whence  it  is  that  she,  as  a  standard  set  up  unto  the 
nations  (Is.  xi.  12),  at  the  same  time  calls  to  herself 
those  who  have  not  yet  believed,  and  shows  to  her 
children  that  the  faith  which  they  hold  rests  on  a 
most  solid  foundation.  And  to  this,  her  testimony, 
effectual  aid  is  supplied  by  power  from  above.  For 
the  Lord,  infinitely  merciful,  on  the  one  hand  stirs 
up  by  his  grace  and  helps  those  who  are  in  error, 
that  they  may  be  able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  those  whom  he 
hath  transferred  from  darkness  into  his  marvellous 
light  he  confirms  by  his  grace,  that  they  may  perse- 
vere in  that  same  light,  never  abandoning  them  unless 
he  be  first  by  them  abandoned.  Wherefore,  totally 
unlike  is  the  condition  of  those  who,  by  the  heavenly 
gift  of  faith,  have  embraced  the  Catholic  truth,  and  of 
those  who,  led  by  human  opinions,  are  following  a  false 
religion  ;  for  they  who  have  received  the  faith  under 
the  teaching  of  the  church  can  never  have  a  just 
reason    to   change    that    faith   or   call   it   into   doubt. 


412  Appendix. 

Wherefore,  giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father,  who 
hath  made  us  worthy  to  he  partakers  of  the  lot  of  the 
saints  in  light,  let  us  not  neglect  so  great  salvation, 
but  looking  on  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  ol 
our  faith,  let  us  hold  fast  the  confession  of  our 
hope  without  wavering. 

CHAPTER    IV 

OF  FAITH   AND   REASON. 

Moreover,  the  Catholic  Church  has  ever  held,  as 
she  now  holds,  that  there  exists  a  twofold  order  of 
knowledge,  each  of  which  is  distinct  from  the  other 
both  as  to  its  principle  and  as  to  its  object.  As  to 
its  principle,  because  in  the  one  we  know  by  natural 
reason,  in  the  other  by  divine  faith  ;  as  to  the  object, 
because,  besides  those  things  to  which  natural  reason 
can  attain,  there  are  proposed  to  our  belief  mysteries 
hidden  in  God  which,  unless  by  him  revealed,  cannot 
come  to  our  knowledge.  Wherefore  the  same  apostle, 
who  beareth  witness  that  God  was  known  to  the 
Gentiles  by  the  things  that  are  made,  yet  when  speak- 
ing of  the  grace  and  truth  that  came  by  Jesus  Christ 
(John  i.  17),  says:  "We  speak  the  wisdom  of  God  in  a 
mystery,  a  wisdom  which  is  hidden  ;  which  God  ordain- 
ed before  the  world  unto  our  glory ;  which  none  of  the 
princes  of  this  world  knew ;  but  Which  God  hath  re- 
vealed to  us  by  his  Spirit.     For  the  Spirit  searcheth  all 


Appendix.  4 1 3 

things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God"  (i  Cor.  ii.  7,  8, 
10).  And  the  only-begotten  Son  thanks  the  Father 
that  he  has  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  pru- 
dent, and  has  revealed  them  to  little  ones  (Matt.  xi. 

25)- 

Reason,  indeed,  enlightened  by  faith  and  seeking 
with  diligence  and  godly  sobriety,  may,  by  God's 
gift,  come  to  some  understanding,  limited  in  degree, 
but  most  wholesome  in  its  effects,  of  mysteries,  both 
from  the  analogy  of  things  which  are  naturally  known, 
and  from  the  connection  of  the  mysteries  themselves 
with  one  another  and  with  man's  last  end.  But  never 
can  reason  be  rendered  capable  of  thoroughly  under- 
standing mysteries,  as  it  does  those  truths  which  form 
its  proper  object.  For  God's  mysteries,  of  their  very 
nature,  so  far  surpass  the  reach  of  created  intellect, 
that  even  when  taught  by  revelation,  and  received  by 
faith,  they  remain  covered  by  faith  itself  as  by  a  veil, 
and  shrouded  as  it  were  in  darkness  ;  as  long  as  in  this 
mortal  life  "  we  are  absent  from  the  Lord  ;  for  we  walk 
by  faith,  and  not  by  sight "  (2  Cor.  v.  6,  7). 

But  although  faith  be  above  reason,  there  never  can 
be  a  real  disagreement  between  them,  since  the  same 
God  who  reveals  mysteries  and  infuses  faith  has  given 
to  man's  scul  the  light  of  reason  ;  and  God  cannot 
deny  himself,  nor  can  one  truth  ever  contradict  anoth- 
er. Wherefore  the  empty  shadow  of  such  contradic- 
tion arises  chiefly  from  this,  that  either  the  doctrines 
of  faith  are  not  understood  and  set  forth  as  the  church 


4H 


Appendix. 


really  holds  them,  or  that  the  vain  devices  and  opin- 
ions of  men  are  mistaken  for  the  dictates  of  reason. 
We  therefore  definitively  pronounce  false  every  asser- 
tion which  is  contrary  to  the  enlightened  truth  of 
faith.  (Fifth  Lateran  Counc.  Bull  Apostolici  Regimz'nis.) 
Moreover,  the  church,  which,  together  with  her  apos- 
tolic office  of  teaching,  is  charged  also  with  the  guar- 
dianship of  the  deposit  of  faith,  holds  likewise  from 
God  the  right  and  the  duty  to  condemn  "knowledge 
falsely  so-called  "  (i  Tim.  vi.  20),  "  lest  any  man  be 
cheated  by  philosophy  and  vain  deceit"  (Col.  ii.  8). 
Hence  all  the  Christian  faithful  are  not  only  forbidden 
to  defend  as  legitimate  conclusions  of  science  those 
opinions  which  are  known  to  be  contrary  to  the  doctrine 
of  faith,  especially  when  condemned  by  the  church, 
but  are  rather  absolutely  bound  to  hold  them  for 
errors  wearing  a  deceitful  appearance  of  truth. 

Not  only  is  it  impossible  for  faith  and  reason  ever  to 
contradict  each  other,  but  they  rather  afford  each 
other  mutual  assistance.  For  right  reason  establishes 
the  foundations  of  faith,  and  by  the  aid  of  its  light 
cultivates  the  science  of  divine  things  ;  and  faith, 
on  the  other  hand,  frees  and  preserves  reason  from 
errors,  and  enriches  it  with  knowledge  of  many 
kinds.  So  far,  then,  is  the  church  from  opposing 
the  culture  of  human  arts  and  sciences,  that  she 
rather  aids  and  promotes  it  in  many  ways.  For  she 
;s  not  ignorant  of,  nor  does  she  despise,  the  advan- 
tages which  flow   from    them  to  the  life  of  men  ;  on 


Appendix.  4 1 5 

the  contrary,  she  acknowledges  that,  as  they  sprang 
from  God  the  Lord  of  knowledge,  so,  if  they  be  rightly 
pursued,  they  will,  through  the  aid  of  his  grace,  lead 
to  God.  Nor  does  she  forbid  any  of  those  sciences 
the  use  of  its  own  principles  and  its  own  method 
within  its  own  proper  sphere;  but,  recognizing  this 
reasonable  freedom,  she  only  takes  care  that  they 
may  not,  by  contradicting  God's  teaching,  fall  into 
errors,  or,  overstepping  their  due  limits,  invade  and 
throw  into  confusion  the  domain  of  faith. 

For  the  doctrine  of  faith  revealed  by  God  has  not 
been  proposed,  like  some  philosophical  discovery,  to 
be  made  perfect  by  human  ingenuity ;  but  it  has  been 
delivered  to  the  spouse  of  Christ  as  a  divine  deposit 
to  be  faithfully  guarded  and  unerringly  set  forth. 
Hence  all  tenets  of  holy  faith  are  to  be  explained 
always  according  to  the  sense  and  meaning  of  the 
church,  nor  is  it  ever  lawful  to  depart  therefrom,  under 
pretence  or  color  of  more  enlightened  explanation. 
Therefore,  as  generations  and  centuries  roll  on,  let  the 
understanding,  knowledge,  and  wisdom  of  each  and 
every  one,  of  individuals  and  of  the  whole  church, 
grow  apace  and  increase  exceedingly,  yet  only  in  its 
kind  ;  that  is  to  say,  retaining  pure  and  inviolate  the 
sense  and  meaning  and  belief  of  the  same  doctrine. 
(Vincent  of  Lerins,  Common.  No.  2S.) 


4 1 6  Appendix. 


CANONS. 


OF  GOD  THE  CREATOR  OF  ALL  THINGS. 

i.  If  any  one  shall  deny  the  one  true  God,  Creator 
and  Lord  of  things  visible  and  invisible  ;  let  him  be 
anathema. 

2.  If  any  one  shall  unblushingly  affirm,  that  besides 
matter  nothing  else  exists  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  substance  or  essence 
of  God,  and  of  all  things,  is  one  and  the  same  ;  let  him 
be  anathema. 

4.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  finite  things,  both  corpo- 
real and  spiritual,  or  at  least  spiritual  things,  are  ema- 
nations of  the  divine  substance  ; 

Or  that  the  divine  essence  by  manifestation  or  deve- 
lopment of  itself  becomes  all  things 

Or,  finally,  that  God  is  universal  or  indefinite  Being, 
which,  in  determining  itself,  constitutes  all  things,  di- 
vided into  genera,  species,  and  individuals  ;  let  him  be 
anathema. 

5.  If  any  one  do  not  acknowledge  that  the  world, 
and  all  things  which  it  contains,  both  spiritual  and 
material,  were  produced,  in  all  their  substance,  by  God, 
out  of  nothing ; 

Or  shall  say  that  God  created  them,  not  of  his  own 


Appendix.  4 1 7 

will,  free  from  all  necessity,  but  through  a  necessity 
such  as  that  whereby  he  loves  himself; 

Or  shall  deny  that  the  world  was  created  for  the 
glory  of  God;  let  him  be  anathema. 

II. 

OF   REVELATION. 

i.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  certain  knowledge  of  the 
one  true  God,  our  Creator  and  Lord,  cannot  be  attained 
by  the  natural  light  of  human  reason  through  the 
things  that  are  made ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

2.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  it  is  impossible,  or  inex- 
pedient, for  man  to  be  instructed  by  means  of  divine 
revelation  in  those  things  that  concern  God  and  the 
worship  to  be  rendered  to  him  ;  let  him  be  ana- 
thema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  man  cannot,  by  the 
power  of  God,  be  raised  to  a  knowledge  and  perfection 
which  is  above  that  of  nature ;  but  that  he  can  and 
ought  of  his  own  efforts,  by  means  of  constant  pro- 
gress, to  arrive  at  last  to  the  possession  of  all  truth 
and  goodness  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

4.  If  any  one  shall  refuse  to  receive  for  sacred  and 
canonical  the  books  of  holy  Scripture  in  their  integri- 
ty, with  all  their  parts,  according  as  they  were  enume- 
rated by  the  holy  Council  of  Trent ; 

Or  shall  deny  that  they  are  inspired  by  God ;  let  him 
be  anathema. 


4 1 8  Appendix. 

III. 

OF   FAITH. 

i.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  human  reason  is  in  such 
wise  independent,  that  faith  cannot  be  demanded  of  it 
by  God  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

2.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  divine  faith  does  not 
differ  from  a  natural  knowledge  of  God  and  of  moral 
truths;  and  therefore  that  for  divine  faith,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  believe  revealed  truth,  on  the  authority 
of  God  who  reveals  it ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  divine  revelation  cannot 
be  rendered  credible  by  external  evidences  ;  and  there- 
fore that  men  should  be  moved  to  faith  only  by  each 
one's  interior  experience  or  private  inspiration  ;  let  him 
be  anathema. 

4.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  no  miracles  can  be 
wrought ;  and  therefore  that  all  accounts  of  such,  even 
those  contained  in  the  sacred  Scripture,  are  to  be  set 
aside  as  fables  or  myths  ;  or  that  miracles  can  never 
be  known  with  certainty,  and  that  the  divine  origin  of 
Christianity  cannot  be  truly  proved  by  them  ;  let  him 
be  anathema. 

5.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  assent  of  Christian 
faith  is  not  free,  but  is  produced  necessarily  by  argu- 
ments of  human  reason  ;  or  that  the  grace  of  God  is 
necessary  only  for  living  faith  which  worketh  by 
charity;  let  him  be  anathema. 


Appendix.  4 1 9 

6.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  the  condition  of  the  faith- 
ful, and  of  those  who  have  not  yet  come  to  the  only 
true  faith,  is  equal,  in  such  wise  that  Catholics  can 
have  just  reason  for  withholding  their  assent,  and 
calling  into  doubt  the  faith  which  they  have  received 
from  the  teaching  of  the  church,  until  they  shall  have 
completed  a  scientific  demonstration  of  the  credibility 
and  truth  of  their  faith  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

IV. 

OF   FAITH   AND   REASON. 

i.  If  anyone  shall  say  that  divine  revelation  includes 
no  mysteries,  truly  and  properly  so  called  ;  but  that  all 
the  dogmas  of  faith  may,  with  the  aid  of  natural  prin- 
ciples, be  understood  and  demonstrated  by  reason  duly 
cultivated  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 

2.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  human  sciences  ought  to 
be  pursued  in  such  a  spirit  of  freedom  that  one  maybe 
allowed  to  hold,  as  true,  their  assertions,  even  when 
opposed  to  revealed  doctrine  ;  and  that  such  assertions 
may  not  be  condemned  by  the  church  ;  let  him  be  ana- 
thema. 

3.  If  any  one  shall  say  that  it  may  at  any  time  come 
to  pass,  in  the  progress  of  science,  that  the  doctrines 
set  forth  by  the  church  must  be  taken  in  another  sense 
than  that  in  which  the  church  has  ever  received  and 
yet  receives  them  ;  let  him  be  anathema. 


420 


Appendix. 


Wherefore,  fulfilling  our  supreme  pastoral  duty,  we 
beseech,  through  the  boweis  of  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ, 
all  the  Christian  faithful,  and  those  especially  whi  are 
set  over  others,  or  have  the  office  of  teachers,  and 
furthermore  we  command  them,  by  authority  of  the 
same  God  and  Saviour,  to  use  all  zeal  and  industry  to 
drive  out  and  keep  away  from  our  holy  church  those 
errors,  and  to  spread  abroad  the  pure  light  of  faith. 

And,  whereas,  it  is  not  enough  to  avoid  heretical 
pravity,  unless  at  the  same  time  we  carefully  shun 
those  errors  which  more  or  less  approach  to  it ;  we 
admonish  all,  that  it  is  their  duty  to  observe  likewise 
the  constitutions  and  decrees  of  this  Holy  See,  by  which 
wrong  opinions  of  the  same  kind,  not  expressly  herein 
mentioned,  are  condemned  and  forbidden. 


II. 


FIRST  DOGMATIC   DECREE   ON  THE  CHURCH  OF 

CHRIST. 

Published  in  the  Fourth  Session  of  the  Holy  (Ecumenical. 
Council  of  the   Vatican — Passed  July  18,  1870. 

PIUS    EPISCOPUS    SERVUS   SERVORUM    DEI   SACRO   APPRO- 
BANTE  CONCILIO   AD   PERPETUAM  REI   MEMORIAM. 

Pastor  aeternus  et  episcopus  animarum  nostrarum, 

ut   salutiferum    redemptionis   opus   perenne  redderet, 

sanctam   aedificare    Ecclesiam  decrevit,  in  qua  veluti 

in   domo    Dei   viventis   fideles   omnes    unius   fidei    et 

charitatis  vinculo  continerentur.     Quapropter,  prius- 

quam  clarificaretur,  rogavit  Patrem  non  pro  Apostolis 

tantum,  sed  et  pro  eis,  qui  credituri  erant  per  verbum 

eorum   in   ipsum,   ut  omnes   unum  essent,   sicut  ipse 

Filius   et   Pater   unum   sunt.      Ouemadmodum    igitur 

Apostolos,  quos  sibi  de  mundo  elegerat,  misit,   sicut 

ipse  missus  erat  a  Patre  ;  ita  in  Ecclesia  sua  Pastores 

et   Doctores  usque  ad  consummationem  saeculi  esse 

voluit.     Ut   vero  episcopatus  ipse  unus  et   indivisus 

esset,    et    per    cohaerentes    sibi    invicem    sacerdotes 

credentium  multitudo  universa  in  fidei  et  communionis 

421 


A22  Appendix. 

unitate  conservaretur  beatum  Petrum  caeteris  Apos- 
tolis  praeponens  in  ipso  instituit  perpetuum  utrius- 
que  unitatis  principium  ac  visibile  fundamentum,  super 
cuius  fortitudinem  aeternum  exstrueretur  templum, 
et  Ecclesiae  coelo  inferenda  sublimitas  in  buius  fidei 
firmitate  consurgeret.*  Et  quoniam  portae  inferi  ad 
evertendam,  si  fieri  posset,  Ecclesiam  contra  eius 
fundamentum  divinitus  positum  maiori  in  dies  odio 
undique  insurgunt;  Nos  ad  catholici  gregis  custo- 
diam,  incolumitatem,  augmentum,  necessarium  esse 
iudicamus,  sacro  approbante  Concilio,  doctrinam  de 
institutione,  perpetuitate,  ac  natura  sacri  Apostolici 
primatus,  in  quo  totius  Ecclesiae  vis  ac  soliditas 
consistit,  cunctis  fidelibus  credendam  et  tenendam, 
secundum  antiquam  atque  constantem  universalis 
Ecclesiae  fidem,  proponere,  atque  contrarios,  dominico 
gregi  adeo  perniciosos  errores  proscribere  et  con- 
demnare. 

CAPUT  I. 

DE     APOSTOLICI     PRIMATUS     IN     BEATO     PETRO 
INSTITUTIONE. 

Docemus  itaque  et  declaramus,  iuxta  Evangelii 
testimonia  primatum  iurisdictionis  in  universam  Dei 
Ecclesiam  immediate  et  directe  beato  Petro  Apostolo 
promissum  atque  collatum  a  Christo  Domino  fuisse. 
Unum    enim    Simonem,   cui   iam   pridem   dixerat :  Tu 

*  S.  Leo  M.  serm.  iv.  (al.  iii.)  cap.  2  in  diem  Natalis  sui. 


Appendix.  423 

vocaberis  Cephas,*  postquam  file  suam  edidit  con- 
fessionem  inquiens  :  Tu  es  Christus,  Filius  Dei  vivi, 
solemnibus  hie  verbis  locutus  est  Dominus  :  Beatus 
es  Simon  Bar-Iona,  quia  caro  et  sanguis  non  revelavit 
tibi,  sed  Pater  meus,  qui  in  coelis  est :  et  ego  dico 
tibi,  quia  tu  es  Petrus,  et  super  hanc  petram  aedificabo 
Ecclesiam  meam,  et  portae  inferi  non  praevalebunt 
adversus  earn:  et  tibi  dabo  claves  regni  coelorum : 
et  quodcumque  ligaveris  super  terram,  erit  ligatum  et 
in  coelis:  et  quodcumque  solveris  super  terram,  erit 
solutum  et  in  coelis.  t  Atque  uni  Simoni  Petro  con- 
tulit  Iesus  post  suam  resurrectionem  summi  pastoris 
et  rectoris  iurisdictionem  in  totum  suum  ovile,  dicens : 
Pasce  agnos  meos :  Pasce  oves  meas.J  Huic  tarn 
manifestae  sacrarum  Scripturarum  doctrinae,  ut  ab 
Ecclesia  catholica  semper  intellecta  est,  aperte  oppo- 
nuntur  pravae  eorum  sententiae,  qui  constitutam  a 
Christo  Domino  in  sua  Ecclesia  regiminis  formam 
pervertentes  negant,  solum  Petrum  prae  caeteris 
Apostolis,  sive  seorsum  singulis  sive  omnibus  simul, 
vero  proprioque  iurisdictionis  primatu  fuisse  a  Christo 
instructum  :  aut  qui  affirmant  eumdem  primatum  non 
immediate,  directeque  ipsi  beato  Petro,  sed  Ecclesiae, 
et  per  hanc  illi,  ut  ipsius  Ecclesiae  ministro,  delatum 
fuisse. 

Si  quis   igitur   dixerit,  beatum    Petrum   Apostolum 
non  esse  a  Christo  Domino  constitutum  Apostolorum 

♦Joan.  i.  42.  t  Matth.  xvi.  16-19. 

%  Joan.  xxi.  15-17. 


424  Appendix. 

omnium  principem  et  totius  Ecclesiae  militantis  visi- 
bile  caput;  vel  eumdem  honoris  tantum,  non  autem 
verae  propriaeque  iurisdictionis  primatum  ab  eodem 
Domino  nostro  Iesu  Christo  directe  et  immediate 
accepisse  ;  anathema  sit. 

CAPUT    II. 

DE   PERPETUITATE   PRIMATUS    BEATI    PETRI    IN    ROMANIS 

PONTIFICIBUS. 

Ouod  autem  in  beato  Apostolo  Petro  princeps  pas- 
torum  et  pastor  magnus  ovium  Dominus  Christus 
Iesus  in  perpetuam  salutem  ac  perenne  bonum  Eccle- 
siae instituit,  id  eodem  auctore  in  Ecclesia,  quae  fundata 
super  petram  ad  finem  saeculorum  usque  firma  stabit, 
iugiter  durare  necesse  est.  Nulli  sane  dubium,  imo 
saeculis  omnibus  notum  est,  quod  sanctus  beatissimus- 
que  Petrus,  Apostolorum  princeps  et  caput,  fideique 
columna  et  Ecclesiae  catholicae  fundamentum,  a  Do- 
mino nostro  Iesu  Christo,  Salvatore  humani  generis 
ac  Redemptore,  claves  regni  accepit:  qui  ad  hoc  usque 
tempus  et  semper  in  suis  successoribus,  episcopis  sanc- 
tae  Romanae  Sedis,  ab  ipso  fundatae,  eiusque  consecra- 
tae  sanguine,  vivit  et  praesidet  et  iudicium  exercet.* 
Unde  quicumque  in  hac  Cathedra  Petro  succedit,  is  se- 
cundum Christi  ipsius  institutionem  primatum  Petri 
in  universam  Ecclesiam  obtinet.     Manet  ergo  disposi- 

*  Cf.  Ephesini  Concilii  Act.  iii. 


Appendix.  425 

tio  ventatis,  et  beatus  Petrus  in  accepta  fbrtitudine 
petrae  perseverans  suscepta  Ecclesiae  gubernacula  non 
reliquit.*  Hac  de  causa  ad  Romanam  Ecclcsiam  prop- 
ter potentiorem  principalitatem  necesse  semper  fuit 
omnem  convenire  Ecclesiam,  hoc  est,  eos,  qui  sunt 
undique  fideles,  ut  in  ea  Sede,  e  qua  venerandae  cora- 
munionis  iura  in  omnes  dimanant,  tamquam  membra  in 
capite  consociata,  in  unam  corporis  compagem  coales- 
cerent.t 

Si  quis  ergo  dixerit,  non  esse  ex  ipsius  Christi  Do- 
mini iastitutione  seu  iure  divino,  ut  beatus  Petrus  in 
primatu  super  universam  Ecclesiam  habeat  perpetuos 
successores ;  aut  Romanum  Pontificem  non  esse  beati 
Petri  in  eodem  primatu  successorem  ;  anathema  sit. 


CAPUT  III. 

DE  VI   ET   RATIONE  PRIMATUS  ROMANI   PONTIFICIS. 

Quapropter  apertis  innixi  sacrarum  litterarum  testi- 
moniis  et  inhaerentes  turn  Praedecessorum  Nostrorum 
Romanorum  Pontificum,  turn  Conciliorum  generalium 
disertis,  perspicuisque  decretis,  innovamus  oecume- 
nici  Concilii  Florentini  definitionem,  qua  credendum 
ab  omnibus  Christi  fidelibus  est,  sanctam  Apostolicam 

*  S.  Leo  M.  Scrm.  iii.  (al.  ii.)  cap.  3. 
t  S.  Iren.  Adv.  Ilaer.  1.  iii.  c.  3.     Ep.  Cone.  Aquilei  a.  381,  inter  epp.  S. 
Ambros.  ep.  xi. 


426  Appendix. 

Sedem,  et  Romanum  Pontificem  in  universum  orbem 
tenere  primatum,  et  ipsum  Pontificem  Romanum  suc- 
cessorem  esse  beati  Petri  principis  Apostolorum,  et 
verum  Christi  Vicarium,  totiusque  Ecclesiae  caput,  et^ 
omnium  Christianorum  patrem  ac  doctorem  existere  ; 
et  ipsi  in  beato  Petro  pascendi,  regendi  et  gubernandi 
universalem  Ecclesiam  a  Domino  nostro  Iesu  Christo 
plenam  potestatem  traditam  esse  ;  quemadmodum 
etiam  in  gestis  oecumenicorum  Conciliorum  et  sacris 
canonibus  continetur. 

Docemus  proinde  et  declaramus,  Ecclesiam  Romanam 
disponente  Domino  super  omnes  alias ordinariaepotesta- 
tis  obtinere  principatum,  ethane  Romani  Pontificis  iur- 
isdictionis  potestatem,  quae  vereepiscopalis  est,  immedi- 
atam  esse:  erga  quam  cuiuscumque  ritus  et  dignitatis, 
pastores  atque  fideles,  tarn  seorsum  singuli  quam  simul 
omnes,  officio  hierarchicae  subordinationis,  veraeque 
obedientiae  obstringuntur,  non  solum  in  rebus,  quae  ad 
fidem  et  mores,  sed  etiam  in  iis,  quae  ad  disciplinam  et 
regimen  Ecclesiae,  pertotum  orbem  diffusae  pertinent ; 
ita,  ut  custodita  cum  Romano  Pontifice  tarn  com- 
munionis,  quam  eiusdem  fidei  professionis  imitate,  Ec- 
clesia  Christi  sit  unus  grex  sub  uno  summo  pastore. 
Haec  est  catholicae  veritatis  doctrina,  a  qua  deviare 
salva  fide  atque  salute  nemo  potest. 

Tantum  autem  abest,  ut  haec  Summi  Pontificis  po- 
testas  officiat  ordinariae  ac  immediatae  illi  episcopali 
iurisdictionis  potestati,  qua  Episcopi,  qui  positi  a  Spiri- 
tu  Sancto  in  Apostolorum  locum  successerunt,  tamquam 


Appendix.  427 

veri  Pastores  assignatos  sibi  greges,  singuli  singulos, 
pascunt  ct  rcgunt,  ut  eadem  a  supremo  et  universal] 
Pastore  asseratur,  roboretur  ac  vindicetur,  secundum 
illud  sancti  Gregorii  Magni  :  Meus  honor  est  honor 
universalis  Ecclesiae.  Meus  honor  est  fratrum  meo- 
rum  solidus  vigor.  Turn  ego  vere  honoratus  sum, 
cum  singulis  quibusque  honor  debitus  non  negatur.* 

Porro  ex  suprema  ilia  Romani  Pontificis  potestate 
gubernandi  universam  Ecclesiam  ius  eidem  esse  conse- 
quitur,  in  huius  sui  muneris  exercitio  libere  commu- 
nicandi  cum  pastoribus  et  gregibus  totius  Ecclesiae,  ut 
iidem  ab  ipso  in  via  salutis  doceri  ac  regi  possint. 
Quare  damnamus  ac  reprobamus  illorum  sententias, 
qui  hanc  supremi  capitis  cum  pastoribus  et  gregibus 
communicationem  licite  impediri  posse  dicunt,  aut 
eamdem  reddunt  saeculari  potestati  obnoxiam,  ita  ut 
contendant,  quae  ab  Apostolica  Sede  vel  eius  auctori- 
tate  ad  regimen  Ecclesiae  constituuntur,  vim  ac  valo- 
rem non  habere,  nisi  potestatis  saecularis  placito  con- 
firmentur. 

Et  quoniam  divino  Apostolici  primatus  iure  Romanus 
Pontifex  universae  Ecclesiae  praeest,  docemus  etiam 
et  declaramus,  eum  esse  iudicem  supremum  fidelium.t 
et  in  omnibus  causis  ad  examen  ecclesiasticum  spec- 
tantibus  ad  ipsius  posse  judicium  recurri;|  Sedis  vero 
Apostolicae,  cuius  auctoritate  maior  non  est,  iudicium 

*  Ep.  ad  Eulog.  Alexandrin.  1.  viii.  ep.  xxx. 

+  Pii  P.  VI.  Breve  Super  Soliditate,  d.  28,  Nov.  1786. 

X  Concil.  CEcum.  Lugdun.  II. 


428  Appendix. 

a  nemine  fore  retractandum,  neque  cuiquam  de  ems 
licere  iudicare  iudicio.*  Ouare  a  recto  veritatis  tramite 
aberrant,  qui  affirmant,  licere  ab  iudiciis  Romanorum 
Pontificum  ad  oecumenicum  Concilium  tamquam  ad 
auctoritatem  Romano  Pontifice  superiorem  appellare. 

Si  quis  itaque  dixerit,  Romanum  Pontificem  habere 
tantummodo  officium  inspectionis  vel  directionis,  non 
autem  plenam  et  supremam  potestatem  iurisdictionis 
in  universam  Ecclesiam,  non  solum  in  rebus,  quae  ad 
fidem  et  mores,  sed  etiam  in  iis,  quae  ad  disciplinam 
et  regimen  Ecclesiae  per  totum  orbem  diffusae  perti- 
nent ;  aut  eum  habere  tantum  notiores  partes,  non 
vero  totam  plenitudinem  huius  supremae  potestatis  ; 
aut  hanc  eius  potestatem  non  esse  ordinariam  et  im- 
mediatam  sive  in  omnes  ac  singulas  ecclesias  sive 
in  omnes  et  singulos  pastores  et  fideles ;  anathema 
sit. 


CAPUT   IV. 

DE  ROMANI   PONTIFICIS   INFALLIBILI   MAGISTERIO. 

Ipso  autem  Apostolico  primatu,  quern  Romanus 
Pontifex  tamquam  Petri  principis  Apostolorum  suc- 
cessor in  universam  Ecclesiam  obtinet,  supremam  quo- 
que  magisterii  potestatem  comprehendi,  haec  Sancta 
Sedes   semper  tenuit,  perpetuus   Ecclesiae  usus  com- 

*  Ep.  Nicolai  I.  ad  Michaelem  Imperatorem. 


Appendix.  429 

probat,  ipsaquc  oecumemea  Concilia,  ea  imprimis,  in 
quibns  Oriens  cum  Occidentc  in  fidei  charitatisque 
unionem  conveniebat,  declaraverunt.  Patres  enim 
Concilii  Constantinopolitani  quarti,  maiorum  vestigiis 
inhaerentes,  hanc  solemnem  ediderunt  professionem  : 
Prima  salus  est,  rectae  fidei  regulam  custodire.  Et 
quia  non  potest  Domini  nostri  Iesu  Christi  praeter- 
mitti  sententia  dicentis :  Tu  es  Petrus,  et  super  hanc 
petram  aedificabo  Ecclesiam  meam,  haec,  quae  dicta 
sunt,  rerum  probantur  effectibus,  quia  in  Sede  Apos- 
tolica  immaculata  est  semper  catholica  reservata  re- 
ligio,  et  sancta  celebrata  doctrina.  Ab  huius  ergo  fide 
et  doctrina  separari  minime  cupientes,  speramus.  ut 
in  una  communione,  quam  Sedes  Apostolica  praedicat, 
esse  mereamur,  in  qua  est  integra  et  vera  Christianae 
religionis  soliditas.*  Approbante  vero  Lugdunenis 
Concilio  secundo,  Graeci  professi  sunt :  Sanctam  Ro- 
manam  Ecclesiam  sumDum  et  plenum  primatum  et 
principatum  super  universam  Ecclesiam  catholicam 
obtinere,  quern  se  ab  ipso  Domino  in  beato  Petro 
Apostolorum  principe  sive  vertice,  cuius  Romanus 
Pontifex  est  successor,  cum  potestatis  plenitudine 
recepisse  veraciter  et  humiliter  recognoscit ;  et  sicut 
prae  caeteris  tenetur  fidei  veritatem  defendere,  sic  et, 
si  quae  de  fide  subortae  fuerint  quaestiones,  suo 
debent   iudicio   definiri.      Florentmum   denique   Con- 


*  Ex  formula  S.  riormisdae  Papae,  prout  ab  Hadriano  II.  Patnbus 
Concilii  Oecumenici  VIII. ,  Constantinopolitani  IV.,  proposita  et  ab 
iisdem  subscripta  est. 


430  Appendix. 

cilium  definivit:  Pontificem  Romanum,  verum  Christi 
Vicarium,  totiusque  Ecclesiae  caput  et  omnium  Chris- 
tianorum  patrem  ac  doctorem  existere ;  et  ipsi  in 
beato  Petro  pascendi,  regendi  ac  gubernandi  univer- 
salem  Ecclesiam  a  Domino  nostro  Iesu  Christo  plenam 
potestatem  traditam  esse. 

Huic  pastorali  muneri  ut  satisfacerent,  Praedeces- 
sores  Nostri  indefessam  semper  operam  dederunt,  ut 
saJutaris  Christi  doctrina  apud  omnes  terrae  populos 
propagaretur,  parique  cura  vigilarunt,  ut,  ubi  recepta 
esset,  sincera  et  pura  conservaretuc  Quocirca  totius 
orbis  Antistites,  nunc  singuli,  nunc  in  Synodis  con- 
gregati,  longam  ecclesiarum  consuetudinem  et  antiquae 
regulae  formam  sequentes,  ea  praesertim  pericula, 
quae  in  negotiis  fidei  emergebant,  ad  hanc  Sedem 
Apostolicam  retulerunt,  ut  ibi  potissimum  resarciren- 
tur  damna  fidei,  ubi  fides  non  potest  sentire  defec- 
tum.* Romani  autem  Pontifices,  prout  temporum  et 
rerum  conditio  suadebat,  nunc  convocatis  oecumeni- 
cis  Conciliis  aut  explorata  Ecclesiae  per  orbem  dis- 
persae  sententia,  nunc  per  Synodos  particulares,  nunc 
aliis,  quae  divina  suppeditabat  providentia,  adhibitis 
auxiliis,  ea  tenenda  definiverunt,  quae  sacris  Scripturis 
et  apostolicisTraditionibus  consentanea,  Deo  adiutore, 
cognoverant.  Neque  enim  Petri  successoribus  Spi- 
ritus  Sanctus  promissus  est,  ut  eo  revelante  novam 
doctrinam  patefacerent,  sed  ut  eo  assistente  traditam 

• 

*  Cf.  S.  Bern.  Epist.  190. 


Appendix,  43 1 

per  Apostolos  revelationem  seu  fidei  depositum  sancte 
custodirent  et  fideliter  exponerent.  Quorum  quidem 
apostolicam  doctrinam  omnes  vencrabiles  Patres  am- 
plexi  et  sancti  Doctores  ortbodoxi  venerati  atque 
secuti  sunt;  plenissime  scientes,  hanc  sancti  Petr 
Sedem  ab  omni  semper  errore  illibatam  permanere. 
secundum  Domini  Salvatoris  nostri  divinam  pollicita- 
tionem  discipulorum  suorum  principi  factam :  Ego 
rogavi  pro  te,  ut  non  deficiat  fides  tua,  et  tu  aliquando 
conversus  confirma  fratres  tuos. 

Hoc  igitur  veritatis  et  fidei  numquam  deficientis 
charisma  Petro  eiusque  in  hac  Cathedra  successoribus 
divinitus  collatum  est,  ut  excelso  suo  munere  in  om- 
nium salutem  fungerentur,  ut  universus  Christi  grex 
per  eos  ab  erroris  venenosa  esca  aversus,  coelestis 
doctrinae  pabulo  nutriretur,  ut  sublata  schismatis 
oceasione  Ecclesia  tota  una  conservaretur  atque  suo 
fundamento  innixa  fir  ma  adversus  inferi  portas  con- 
sistent. 

At  vero  cum  hac  ipsa  aetate,  qua  salutifera  Apos- 
tolici  muneris  efficacia  vel  maxime  requiritur,  non 
pauci  inveniantur,  qui  illius  auctoritati  obtrectant  , 
necessarium  omnino  esse  censemus,  praerogativam, 
quam  unigenitus  Dei  Filius  i  i  summo  pastorali 
officio  coniungere  dignatus  est,  sclemniter  asserere. 

Itaque  Nos  traditioni  a  fidei  Christianae  exordio 
perceptae  fideliter  inhaerendo,  ad  Dei  Salvatoris  nos- 
tri gloriam,  religionis  CatholiCae  exaltationem  et 
Christianorum  populorum  salutem,  sacro  approbante 


43 2  Appendix. 

Concilio,  docemus  et  divinitus  revelatum  dogma  esse 
definimus  :  Romanum  Pontificem,  cum  ex  Cathedra 
loquitur,  id  est,  cum  omnium  Christianorum  Pastoris 
et  Doctoris  munere  fungens,  pro  suprema  sua  Apos- 
tolica  auctoritate  doctrinam  de  fide  vel  moribus  ab 
universa  Ecclesia  tenendam  definit,  per  assistentiam 
divinam,  ipsi  in  beato  Petro  promissam,  ea  infallibili- 
tate  pollere,  qua  divinus  Redemptor  Ecclesiam  suam 
in  definienda  doctrina  de  fide  vel  moribus  instructam 
esse  voluit ;  ideoque  eiusmodi  Romani  Pontificis  de- 
finitiones  ex  sese,  non  autem  ex  consensu  Ecclesiae, 
irreformabiles  esse. 

Si  quis  autem  huic  Nostrae  definitioni  contradicere, 
quod  Deus  avertat,  praesumpserit ;  anathema  sit. 

Datum  Romae,  in  publica  Sessione  in  Vaticana 
Basilica  solemniter  celebrata,  anno  Incarnationis  Do- 
minicae  millesimo  octingentesimo  septuagesimo,  die 
decima  octava  Iulii. 

Pontificatus  Nostri  anno  vigesimo  quinto 

Ita  est 

IOSEPHUS 

Episcopus  S.  Hippolyti 
Secretarius  Concilii  Vatic  am. 


FIRST   DOGMATIC   DECREE  ON  THE   CHURCH   OF 

CHRIST* 


Published  in  the  Fourth  Session  of  the  Holy  (Ecumenical 
Council  of  the  Vatican — Passed  July  18,  1870. 


PIUS,  BISHOP,  SERVANT  OF  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD,  WITH 
THE  APPROBATION  OF  THE  HOLY  COUNCIL,  FOR  A 
PERPETUAL   REMEMBRANCE   HEREOF. 


The  eternal  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  our  souls,  in 
order  to  render  perpetual  the  saving  work  of  his  re- 
demption, resolved  to  build  the  holy  church,  in  which, 
as  in  the  house  of  the  living  God,  all  the  faithful  should 
be  united  by  the  bond  of  the  same  faith  and  charity. 
For  which  reason,  before  he  was  glorified,  he  prayed 
the  Father,  not  for  the  apostles  alone,  but  also  for 
those  who,  through  their  word,  should  believe  in  him, 
that  they  all  might  be  one,  as  the  Son  himself  and  the 
Father  are  one.     (John  xvii.  1-20.)    Wherefore,  even 

H  Translation  of  The  Catholic  World. 
433 


434  Appendix. 

as  he  sent  the  apostles,  whom  he  had  chosen  to  him- 
self from  the  world,  as  he  had  been  sent  by  the  Father 
so  he  willed  that  there  should  be  pastors  and  teachers 
in  his  church  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world. 
Moreover,  to  the  end  that  the  episcopal  body  itself 
might  be  one  and  undivided,  and  that  the  entire  mul- 
titude of  believers  might  be  preserved  in  oneness  of 
faith  and  of  communion,  through  priests  cleaving  mu- 
tually together,  he  placed  the  blessed  Peter  before  the 
other  apostles,  and  established  in  him  a  perpetual  prin- 
ciple of  this  twofold  unity,  and  a  visible  foundation  on 
whose  strength  "  the  eternal  temple  might  be  built, 
and  in  whose  firm  faith  the  church  might  rise  upward 
until  her  summit  reach  the  heavens  "  (St.  Leo  the 
Great,  Sermon  iv.  [or  iii.]  Chapter  2,  on  Christmas). 
Now,  seeing  that  in  order  to  overthrow,  if  possible, 
the  church,  the  powers  of  hell  on  every  side,  and  with 
a  hatred  which  increases  day  by  day,  are  assailing  her 
foundation  which  was  placed  by  God,  we  therefore,  for 
the  preservation,  the  safety,  and  the  increase  of  the 
Catholic  flock,  and  with  the  approbation  of  the  sacred 
council,  have  judged  it  necessary  to  set  forth  the  doc- 
trine which,  according  to  the  ancient  and  constant 
faith  of  the  universal  church,  all  the  faithful  must  be- 
lieve and  hold,  touching  the  institution,  the  perpetuity, 
and  the  nature  of  the  sacred  apostolic  primacy,  in  which 
stands  the  power  and  strength  of  the  entire  church  ; 
and  to  proscribe  and  condemn  the  contrary  errors,  so 
nurtful  to  the  flock  of  the  Lord. 


Appendix.  435 

CHAPTER  I. 


OF   THE   INSTITUTION    OF    THE    APOSTOLIC     PRIMACY    IN 
THE   BLESSED   PETER. 

We  teach,  therefore,  and  declare  that,  according  to 
the  testimonies  of  the  Gospei,  the  primacy  of  jurisdic- 
tion over  the  whole  church  of  God  was  promised  and 
given  immediately  and  directly  to  blessed  Peter,  the 
apostle,  by  Christ  our  Lord.  For  it  was  to  Simon 
alone,  to  whom  he  had  already  said,  "Thou  shalt  be 
called  Cephas,"*  that,  after  he  had  professed  his  faith, 
"Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,"  our 
Lord  said,  "  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-Jona  :  because 
rlesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but  my 
Father  who  is  in  heaven  ;  and  I  say  to  thee,  that  thou 
art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it ;  and 
I  will  give  to  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; 
and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  upon  earth,  it  shall  be 
bound  also  in  heaven  ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose 
upon  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven."  t  And 
it  was  to  Simon  Peter  alone  that  Jesus,  after  his  resur- 
rection, gave  the  jurisdiction  of  supreme  shepherd  and 
ruler  over  the  whole  of  his  fold,  saying,  "Feed  my 
lambs  ;"  "  Feed  my  sheep."  \    To  this  doctrine,  so  clear- 


John  i.  42.  +  Matthew  xvi.  16-19. 

t  John  xxi.  15-17. 


436  Appe7idix. 

ly  set  forth  in  the  sacred  Scriptures,  as  the  Catholic 
Church  has  always  understood  it,  are  plainly  opposed 
the  perverse  opinions  of  those  who.  distorting  the 
form  of  government  established  in  his  church  by 
Christ  our  Lord,  deny  that  Peter  alone  above  the 
other  apostles,  whether  taken  separately  one  by  one, 
or  all  together,  was  endowed  by  Christ  with  a  true 
and  real  primacy  of  jurisdiction  ;  or  who  assert  that 
this  primacy  was  not  given  immediately  and  directly 
to  blessed  Peter,  but  to  the  church,  and  through  her 
to  him,  as  to  the  agent  of  the  church. 

If,  therefore,  any  one  shall  say,  that  blessed  Peter 
the  Apostle  was  not  appointed,  by  Christ  our  Lord,  the 
prince  of  all  the  apostles,  and  the  visible  head  of  the 
whole  church  militant;  or,  that  he  received  directly 
and  immediately  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  only  the 
primacy  of  honor,  and  not  that  of  true  and  real  juris- 
diction ;  let  him  be  anathema. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OF    THE    PERPETUITY    OF    THE    PRIMACY    OF    PETER    IV 
THE  ROMAN  PONTIFFS. 

What  the  Prince  of  pastors  and  the  great  Shepherd 
of  the  sheep,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  established  in 
the  person  of  the  blessed  apostle  Peter  for  the  per- 


Appendix.  437 

petual  welfare  and  lasting  good  of  the  church,  the 
same  through  his  power  must  needs  last  for  ever 
in  that  church,  which  is  founded  upon  the  rock, 
and  will  stand  firm  till  the  end  of  time.  And  indeed 
it  is  well  known,  as  it  has  been  in  all  ages,  that  the 
holy  and  most  blessed  Peter,  prince  and  head  of  the 
apostles,  pillar  of  the  faith  and  foundation  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  who  received  from  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  mankind,  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  to  this  present  time 
and  at  all  times  lives  and  presides  and  pronounces 
judgment  in  the  person  of  his  successors,  the  bishops 
of  the  holy  Roman  See,  which  was  founded  by  him. 
and  consecrated  by  his  blood.*  So  that  whoever 
succeeds  Peter  in  this  chair,  holds,  according  to 
Christ's  own  institution,  the  primacy  of  Peter  over 
the  whole  church.  What,  therefore,  was  once  estab- 
lished by  him  who  is  the  truth,  still  remains,  and 
blessed  Peter,  retaining  the  strength  of  the  rock, 
which  has  been  given  to  him,  has  never  left  the  helm 
of  the  church  originally  entrusted  to  him.t 

For  this  reason  it  was  always  necessary  for  every 
other  church,  that  is,  the  faithful  ot  all  countries,  to 
have  recourse  to  the  Roman  Church  on  account  of 
its  superior  headship,  in  order  that  being  joined,  as 
members  to  their  head,  with  this  see,  from  which  the 


*  Council  of  Eph.  sess.  iii.    S.  Peter  Chrys.  Ep.  ad  Eutvch. 
t  St.  Leo,  Serm.  iii.  chap.  iii. 


43  8  Appendix. 

rights   of    religious    communion    flow   unto  all,    they 
might  be  knitted  into  the  unity  of  one  body.  % 

If,  therefore,  any  one  shall  say,  that  it  is  not  by  the 
institution  of  Christ  our  Lord  himself,  or  by  divine 
right,  that  blessed  Peter  has  perpetual  successors  in 
the  primacy  over  the  whole  church  ;  or,  that  the 
Roman  Pontiff  is  not  the  successor  of  blessed  Peter 
in  this  primacy;  let  him  be  anathema. 


CHAPTER    III. 

OF    THE     POWER    AND    NATURE     OF    THE     PRIMACY     OF 
THE     ROMAN     PONTIFF. 

Wherefore,  resting  upon  the  clear  testimonies  ot 
holy  writ,  and  following  the  full  and  explicit  decrees 
of  our  predecessors  the  Roman  Pontiffs,  and  of  gen- 
eral councils,  we  renew  the  definition  of  the  QEcume- 
nical  Council  of  Florence,  according  to  which  all  the 
faithful  of  Christ  must  believe  that  the  holy  apostolic 
see  and  the  Roman  Pontjff  hold  the  primacy  over  the 
whole  world,  and  that  the  Roman  Pontiff  is  the  suc- 
cessor of  blessed  Peter  the  prince  of  the  apostles,  and 
the  true  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  is  the  head  of  the  whole 
church,  and  the  father  and  teacher  of  all  Christians  ; 
and  that  to  him,  in  the  blessedt  Peter,  was  given  by 

*  S.  Irenreus  against  Heresies,  book  iii.  chap.  3.  Epist.  of  Council  of 
Aquileia,  381. 


Appendix.  439 

our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  full  power  of  feeding-,  ruling, 
and  governing  the  universal  church  ;  as  is  also  set 
forth  in  the  acts  of  the  oecumenical  councils,  and  in 
the  sacred  canons. 

Wherefore,  we  teach  and  declare  that  the  Roman 
Church,  under  divine  Providence,  possesses  a  headship 
of  ordinary  power  over  all  other  churches,  and  that 
this  power  of  jurisdiction  of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  which 
is  truly  episcopal,  is  immediate,  toward  which  the  pas- 
tors and  faithful  of  whatever  rite  and  dignity,  whether 
singly  or  all  together,  are  bound  by  the  duty  of  hie- 
rarchical subordination  and  of  true  obedience,  not  only 
in  things  which  appertain  to  faith  and  morals,  but 
likewise  in  those  things  which  concern  the  discipline 
and  government  of  the  church  spread  throughout 
the  world,  so  that  being  united  with  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiff, both  in  communion  and  in  profession  of  the 
same  faith,  the  church  of  Christ  may  be  one  fold 
under  one  chief  shepherd.  This  is  the  doctrine  of 
Catholic  truth,  from  which  no  one  can  depart  with- 
out loss  of  faith  and  salvation. 

So  far,  nevertheless,  is  this  power  of  the  supreme 
pontiff  from  trenching  on  that  ordinary  power  of  epis- 
copal jurisdiction  by  which  the  bishops,  who  have 
been  instituted  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  have  succeeded 
in  the  place  of  the  apostles,  like  true  shepherds,  feed 
and  rule  the  flocks  assigned  to  them,  each  one  his  own  ; 
that,  on  the  contrary,  this  their  power  is  asserted, 
strengthened,  and  vindicated  by  the  supreme  and  uni- 


44°  Appendix: 

versal  pastor;  as  St.  Gregory  the  Great  saith :  My 
honor  is  the  honor  of  the  universal  church;  my  honor 
is  the  solid  strength  of  my  brethren  ;  then  am  I  truly 
honored  when  to  each  one  of  them  the  honor  due  is 
not  denied  (St.  Gregory  Great  to  Eulogius,  Epist.  30). 

Moreover,  from  that  supreme  authority  of  the  Ro- 
man Pontiff  to  govern  the  universal  church,  there 
follows  to  him  the  right,  in  the  exercise  of  this  his 
office,  of  freely  communicating  with  the  pastors  and 
flocks  of  the  whole  church,  that  they  may  be  taught 
and  guided  by  him  in  the  way  of  salvation. 

Wherefore,  we  condemn  and  reprobate  the  opinions 
of  those,  who  say  that  this  communication  of  the 
supreme  head  with  the  pastors  and  flocks  can  be 
lawfully  hindered,  or  who  make  it  subject  to  the 
secular  power,  maintaining  that  the  things  which 
are  decreed  by  the  apostolic  see  or  under  its  authority 
for  the  government  of  the  church,  have  no  force  or 
value  unless  they  are  confirmed  by  the  approval  of 
the  secular  power.  And  since,  by  the  divine  right  of 
apostolic  primacy,  the  Roman  Pontiff  presides  over 
the  universal  church,  we  also  teach  and  declare 
that  he  is  the  supreme  judge  of  the  faithful  (Pius  VI., 
Brief  Super  Soliditate),  and  that  in  all  causes  calling 
for  ecclesiastical  trial,  recourse  may  be  had  to  his 
iudgment  (Second  Council  of  Lyons) ;  but  the  de- 
cision of  the  apostolic  see,  above  which  there  is  no 
higher  authority,  cannot  be  reconsidered  by  any  one, 
nor  is  it  lawful  for  any  one  to  sit  in  judgment  on  his 


Appendix.  44 1 

judgment  (Nicholas  I.  Epist  ad  Michaelem  Imper- 
atorem). 

Wherefore,  they  wander  away  from  the  right  path 
of  truth  who  assert  that  it  is  lawful  to  appeal  from 
the  judgments  of  the  Roman  Pontiffs  to  an  oecumenical 
council,  as  if  to  an  authority  superior  to  the  Roman 
Pontiff. 

Therefore,  if  any  one  shall  say  that  the  Roman 
Pontiff  holds  only  the  charge  of  inspection  or  direc- 
tion, and  not  full  and  supreme  power  of  jurisdiction 
over  the  entire  church,  not  only  in  things  which  per- 
tain to  faith  and  morals,  but  also  in  those  which 
pertain  to  the  discipline  and  government  of  the 
church  spread  throughout  the  whole  world  ;  or,  that 
he  possesses  only  the  chief  part  and  not  the  entire 
plenitude  of  this  supreme  power;  or,  that  this  his 
power  is  not  ordinary  and  immediate,  both  as  regards 
all  and  each  ol  the  churches,  and  all  and  each  of  the 
pastors  and  faithful ;  let  him  be  anathema. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

OF     THE     INFALLIBLE     AUTHORITY     OF     THE     ROMAN 
PONTIFF     IN     TEACHING. 

This  holy  see  has'  ever  held — the  unbroken  custom 
of  the  church  doth  prove— and  the  oecumenical  coun- 
cils, those  especially  in  which  the  East  joined  with  the 


442  Appendix. 

West,  in  union  of  faith  and  of  charity,  have  declared 
that  in  this  apostolic  primacy,  which  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiff holds  over  the  universal  church,  as  successor 
of  Peter  the  prince  of  the>  apostles,  there  is  also  con- 
tained the  supreme  power  of  authoritative  teaching. 
Thus  the  fathers  of  the  fourth  council  of  Constanti- 
nople, following  in  the  footsteps  of  their  predeces- 
sors, put  forth  this  solemn  profession  : 

"  The  first  law  of  salvation  is  to  keep  the  rule  of 
true  faith.  And  whereas  the  words  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  cannot  be  passed  by,  who  said:  Thou 
art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church 
(Matt.  xvi.  1 8)  ;  these  words,  which  he  spake,  are 
proved  true  by  facts ;  for  in  the  apostolic  see,  the 
Catholic  religion  has  ever  been  preserved  unspotted, 
and  the  holy  doctrine  has  been  announced.  There- 
fore wishing  never  to  be  separated  from  the  faith 
and  teaching  of  this  see,  we  hope  to  be  worthy  to 
abide  in  that  one  communion  which  the  apostolic  see 
preaches,  in  which  is  the  full  and  true  firmness  of  the 
Christian  religion."  [Formula  of  St.  Hormisdas,  Pope, 
as  proposed  by  Hadrian  II.  to  the  fathers  of  the 
eighth  general  Council  (Constantinop.  IV.),  and  sub- 
scribed by  them.] 

So  too,  the  Greeks,  with  the  approval  of  the  second 
Council  of  Lyons,  professed  that  the  holy  Roman 
Church  holds  over  the  universal  Catholic  Church  a 
supreme  and  full  primacy  and  headship,  which  she 
truthfully   and    humbly   acknowledges    that    she    re- 


Appendix.  443 

ceived,  with  fulness  of  power,  from  the  Lord  himself 
in  blessed  Peter,  the  prince  or  head  of  the  apostles, 
of  whom  the  Roman  Pontiff  is  the  successor;  and  as 
she,  beyond  the  others,  is  bound  to  defend  the  truth 
of  the  faith,  so,  if  any  questions  arise  concerning 
faith,  they  should  be  decided  by  her  judgment.  And 
finally,  the  Council  of  Florence  defined  that  the 
Roman  Pontiff  is  true  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  the  head 
of  the  whole  church,  and  the  father  and  teacher  of 
all  Christians,  and  that  to  him,  in  the  blessed  Peter, 
was  given  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  full  power  oi 
feeding  and  ruling  and  governing  the  universal  church. 
(John  xxi.  15-17.) 

In  order  to  fulfil  this  pastoral  charge,  our  predeces- 
sors have  ever  labored  unweariedly  to  spread  the  sav- 
ing doctrine  of  Christ  among  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  with  equal  care  have  watched  to  preserve 
it  pure  and  unchanged  where  it  had  been  received. 
Wherefore  the  bishops  of  the  whole  world,  sometimes 
singly,  sometimes  assembled  in  Synods,  following  the 
long  established  custom  of  the  churches  (S.  Cyril,  Alex, 
ad  S.  Ccelest.  Pap.),  and  the  form  of  ancient  rule  (St. 
Innocent  I.  to  councils  of  Carthage  and  Milevi),  re- 
ferred to  this  apostolic  see  those  dangers  especially 
which  arose  in  matters  of  faith,  in  order  that  injuries 
to  faith  might  best  be  healed  there  where  the  faith 
could  never  fail  (St.  Bernard,  Ep.  190).  And  the  Ro- 
man Pontiffs,  weighing  the  condition  of  times  and 
circumstances,    sometimes    calling    together    general 


444  Appendix: 

councils,  or  asking  the  judgment  of  the  church  scat- 
tered through  the  world,  sometimes  consulting  par- 
ticular synods,  sometimes  using  such  other  aids  as 
divine  Providence  supplied,  defined  that  those  doc- 
trines should  be  held,  which,  by  the  aid  of  God,  they 
knew  to  be  conformable  to  the  holy  Scriptures  and  the 
apostolic  traditions.  For  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  pro- 
mised to  the  successors  of  Peter,  that  they  may  make 
known  a  new  doctrine  revealed  by  him,  but  that, 
through  his  assistance,  they  may  sacredly  guard  and 
faithfully  set  forth  the  revelation  delivered  by  the 
apostles,  that  is,  the  deposit  of  faith.  And  this  their 
apostolic  teaching,  all  the  venerable  fathers  have  em- 
braced, and  the  holy  orthodox  doctors  have  revered 
and  followed,  knowing  most  certainly  that  this  see  of 
St.  Peter  ever  remains  free  from  all  error,  according 
to  the  divine  promise  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  made 
to  the  prince  of  the  apostles  :  I  have  prayed,  for  thee, 
that  thy  fail  not,  and  thou,  being  once  converted,  con- 
firm thy  brethren.  (Conf.  S.  Agatho,  Ep.  ad  Imp.  a 
Cone.  OZcum.  VI.  approbat.) 

Therefore,  this  gift  of  truth,  and  of  faith  which  fails 
not,  was  divinely  bestowed  on  Peter  and  his  successors 
in  this  chair,  that  they  should  exercise  their  high 
office  for  the  salvation  of  all,  that  through  them  the 
universal  flock  of  Christ  should  be  turned  away  from 
the  poisonous  food  of  error,  and  should  be  nourished 
with  the  food  of  heavenly  doctrine,  and  that,  the  oc- 
casion of  schism  being    removed,    the    entire  church 


Appendix.  445 

should  be  preserved  one,  and,  planted  on  her  founda- 
tion, should  stand  firm  against  the  gates  of  hell. 

Nevertheless,  since  in  this  present  age,  when  the 
saving  efficacy  of  the  Apostolic  office  is  exceedingly- 
needed,  there  are  not  a  few  who  carp  at  its  authority  ■ 
we  judge  it  altogether  necessary  to  solemnly  declare 
the  prerogative,  which  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God 
has  deigned  to  unite  to  the  supreme  pastoral  office. 

Wherefore,  faithfully  adhering  to  the  tradition  hand- 
ed down  from  the  commencement  of  the  Christian 
faith,  for  the  glory  of  God  our  Saviour,  the  exaltation 
of  the  Catholic  religion,  and  the  salvation  of  Christian 
peoples,  with  the  approbation  of  the  sacred  councij, 
we  teach  and  define  it  to  be  a  doctrine  divinely  reveal- 
ed :  that  when  the  Roman  pontiff  speaks  ex  cathedra, 
that  is,  when  in  the  exercise  of  his  office  of  pastor  and 
teacher  of  all  Christians,  and  in  virtue  of  his  supreme 
apostolical  authority,  he  defines  that  a  doctrine  of 
faith  or  morals  is  to  be  held  by  the  universal  church, 
he  possesses,  through  the  divine  assistance  promised 
to  him  in  the  blessed  Peter,  that  infallibility  with 
which  the  divine  Redeemer  willed  his  church  to  be 
endowed,  in  defining  a  doctrine  of  faith  or  morals  ; 
and  therefore  that  such  definitions  of  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiff are  irreformable  of  themselves,  and  not  by  force  of 
the  consent  of  the  church  thereto. 

And  if  any  one  shall  presume, 'which  God  forbid, 
to  contradict  this  our  definition;  let  him  be  ana- 
thema. 


446  Appendix. 

Given   in    Rome,   in   the    Public   Session,   solemnly 

celebrated  in  the  Vatican  Basilica,  in  the  year  of  the 

Incarnation  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred 

and  seventy,  on  the  eighteenth  day  of  July;  in  the 

twenty-fifth  year  of  our  Pontificate. 

Ita  est. 

Joseph,  Bishop  of  St.  Polten, 

Secretary  of  the  Council 
of  the  Vatican. 


11. 


LETTER  APOSTOLIC  OF  OUR   HOLY   FATHER   POPE 

PIUS   IX. 

TO   ALL   PROTESTANTS   AND  OTHER  NON-CATHOLICS. 
PIUS    IX.,    POPE. 

You  already  know  that  we,  having  been  elevated, 
notwithstanding  our  unworthiness,  to  this  Chair  of 
Peter,  and  therefore  invested  with  the  supreme  go- 
vernment and  guardianship  of  the  whole  Catholic 
Church  by  Christ  our  Lord,  have  judged  it  reasonable 
to  summon  to  us  our  venerable  brethren  the  Bishops 
of  the  whole  earth,  and  to  unite  them  together,  to 
celebrate,  next  year,  an  (Ecumenical  Council ;  so  that 
in  concert  with  these  our  venerable  brethren,  who 
are  called  to  share  in  our  cares,. we  may  take  those 
steps  which  seem  most  opportune  and  necessary  to 
disperse  the  darkness  of  the  numerous  pestilential 
errors  which  everywhere  rage  to  the  increasing  over 
throw  and  the  intoxication  of  many  souls  ;  and  also  to 
confirm  and  increase  daily  more  and  more  among  the 
Christian  people  entrusted  to  our  watchfulness  the 
dominion  of  true  faith,  justice,  and  the  peace  of  God. 
Confidently  relying  on  the  close  ties  and  most  loving 

447 


448  Appendix, 

union  which  in  so  marked  a  way  unite  to  ourselves 
and  to  this  holy  See  these  our  venerable  brethren, 
who,  through  all  the  time  ot  our  supreme  Pontificate, 
have  never  failed  to  give  to  ourselves  and  this  holy 
See  the  clearest  tokens  of  their  love  and  veneration  ; 
we  have  the  firm  hope  that  this  (Ecumenical  Council, 
summoned  by  us  at  this  time,  will  produce,  by  the 
inspirations  of  divine  grace,  as  other  General  Councils 
in  past  ages  have  done,  abundant  fruits  of  benedic- 
tion, to  the  greater  glory  of  God,  and  the  eternal 
salvation  of  men. 

Sustained  by  this  hope,  and  roused  and  urged  by 
the  love  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  his  life 
for  the  whole  human  race,  we  cannot  restrain  our- 
selves, on  the  occasion  of  the  future  Council,  from 
addressing  our  apostolic  and  paternal  words  to  all 
those  who,  whilst  they  acknowledge  the  same  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Redeemer,  and  glory  in  the  name  ot 
Christian,  yet  do  not  profess  the  true  faith  of  Christ 
nor  hold  to  and  follow  the  communion  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  And  we  do  this  to  warn,  and  conjure  and 
beseech  them  with  all  the  warmth  of  our  zeal,  and  in 
all  charity,  that  they  may  consider  and  seriously  ex- 
amine whether  they  follow  the  path  marked  out  for 
them  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  and  which  leads  to 
eternal  salvation.  No  one  can  deny  or  doubt  that 
Jesus  Christ  himself,  in  order  to  apply  the  fruits  of 
his  redemption  to  all  generations  of  men,  built  his 
only  church  in  this  world  on  Peter  ;  that  is  to  say,  the 


Appendix.  449 

church,  one,  holy,  Catholic,  and  apostolic  ;  and  that 
he  gave  him  all  the  power  necessary  to  preserve  the 
deposit  of  faith  whole  and  inviolable,  and  to  teach  the 
same  faith  to  all  kindreds,  and  peoples,  and  nations  ; 
so  that  all  men  who  through  baptism  become  members 
of  his  mystical  body,  and  of  that  new  life  of  grace, 
without  which  no  one  can  ever  attain  to  life  eternal, 
may  always  be  preserved  and  perfected  in  them  ;  and 
this  church,  which  is  his  mystical  Body,  may  al- 
ways in  its  own  nature  remain  firm  and  immovable  to 
the  consummation  of  ages,  that  it  may  flourish,  and 
supply  to  all  its  children  all  the  means  of  salvation. 

Now,  whoever  will  carefully  examine  and  reflect 
upon  the  condition  of  the  various  religious  societies, 
divided  among  themselves,  and  separated  from  the 
Catholic  Church,  which,  from  the  days  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles,  has  ever  exercised,  by 
its  lawful  pastors,  and  still  does  exercise,  the  divine 
power  committed  to  it  by  this  same  Lord,  will  easily 
satisfy  himself  that  none  of  these  societies,  singly 
nor  all  together,  are  in  any  way  or  form  that  one 
Catholic  Church  which  our  Lord  founded  and  built, 
and  which  he  chose  should  be  ;  and  that  he  cannot, 
by  any  means,  say  that  these  societies  are  members  or 
parts  of  that  church,  since  they  are  visibly  separated 
from  Catholic  unity. 

For  such  like  societies,  being  destitute  of  that  liv- 
ing authority  established  by  God,  which  especially 
teaches  men  what  is  of  faith,  what  the  rule  of  morals, 


45°  Appendix. 

and  guides  them  in  everything  that  relates  to  eternal 
life,  are  always  varying  in  their  doctrines ;  and  this 
changing  and  instability  are  increasing.  Every  one 
therefore  must  perfectly  understand,  and  clearly  and 
evidently  see,  that  such  societies  are  distinctly  oppo- 
site to  the  church  instituted  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ,  for  in  that  church  truth  must  always  con- 
tinue firm  and  inaccessible  to  change,  so  as  to  pre- 
serve absolutely  inviolate  the  deposit  confided  to  her, 
for  the  guardianship  of  which  the  presence  and  aid 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  have  been  promised  to  her  for  ever. 
Every  one  also  knows  that  from  these  divergent  doc- 
trines and  opinions  serious  schisms  have  had  their 
birth,  which  have  again  generated  within  themselves 
sects  and  communions  without  number,  which  spread 
themselves  continually,  to  the  great  injury  of  Chris- 
tian and  civil  society. 

Indeed,  whoever  observes  that  religion  is  the  foun- 
dation of  human  society,  must  perceive  and  confess 
the  great  influence  which  this  division  of  principles, 
this  opposition,  this  strife  of  religious  societies  among 
themselves,  must  have  on  civil  society,  and  with 
what  force  this  denial  of  the  authority  established  by 
God,  to  determine  the  belief  of  the  human  mind,  and 
direct  the  actions  of  men  as  well  in  private  as  in 
social  life,  has  fostered,  spread,  and  supported  those 
deplorable  changes  of  times  and  circumstances,  those 
troubles  which  at  this  day  overwhelm  and  afflict  almost 
all  peoples. 


Appendix.  45 1 

Let  all  those,  then,  who  do  not  profess  the  unity 
and  truth  of  the  Catholic  Church,  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunity  of  this  Council,  in  which  the 
Catholic  Church,  to  which  their  forefathers  belonged, 
affords  a  new  proof  of  her  close  unity  and  her  invin- 
cible vitality,  and  let  them  satisfy  the  longings  of 
their  hearts,  and  liberate  themselves  from  that  state 
in  which  they  cannot  be  assured  of  their  own  salva- 
tion. Let  them  unceasingly  offer  fervent  prayers  to 
the  God  of  Mercy,  that  he  Will  throw  down  the  wall 
of  separation,  that  he  will  scatter  the  darkness  of 
error,  and  that  he  will  lead  them  back  to  the  Holy 
Mother  Church,  in  whose  bosom  their  fathers  found 
the  salutary  pastures  of  life,  in  whom  alone  the  whole 
doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  is  preserved  and  handed 
down,  and  the  mysteries  of  heavenly  grace  dispensed. 

For  ourself,  to  whom  the  same  Christ  our  Lord  has 
entrusted  the  charge  of  the  supreme  apostolic  minis- 
try, and  who  must,  therefore,  fulfil  with  the  greatest  zeal 
all  the  functions  of  a  good  pastor,  and  love  with  a 
paternal  love,  and  embrace  in  our  charity  all  men, 
wherever  dispersed  over  the  earth,  we  address  this 
letter  to  all  Christians  separated  from  us,  and  we 
again  exhort  and  conjure  them  quickly  to  return  to 
the  one  fold  of  Christ. 

For  we  ardently  desire  their  salvation  in  Jesus 
Christ,  and  we  fear  to  have  one  day  to  render  account 
to  him  who  is  our  Judge,  if  we  do  not  show  them, 
and  if  we  do  not  give  them,  as  far  as  is  in  our  power, 


45 2  Appendix. 

the  sure  means  to  know  the  way  which  leads  to  eter- 
nal salvation.  In  all  our  prayers,  beseeching  and  giv- 
ing thanks,  we  cease  not,  day  or  night,  to  ask  earnest- 
ly and  humbly  for  them,  of  the  Eternal  Pastor  of 
souls,  the  abundance  of  light  and  heavenly  grace. 
And  since,  notwithstanding  our  unworthiness,  we 
are  his  Vicar  upon  earth,  with  outstretched  hands 
we  wait,  in  the  most  ardent  desire,  the  return  of  our 
erring  sons  to  the  Catholic  Church,  so  that  we  may 
receive  them  with  love  into  the  mansion  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  and  enrich  them  with  his  unspeak- 
able treasures.  On  this  longed-for  return  to  the  truth 
and  unity  of  the  Catholic  Church  depends  not  only 
the  salvation  of  individuals,  but  still  more  Christian 
society ;  since  the  whole  world  cannot  enjoy  true 
peace  unless  it  becomes  one  fold  under  one  Shepherd. 
Given  at  St.  Peter's,  in  Rome,  the  13th  day  of 
September,  1868,  and  the  twenty-third  year  ot  our 
Pontificate. 


\v. 


ENCYCLICAL  LETTER  OF  OUR   MOST   HOLY   FATHER 

POPE   PIUS   IX. 

ANNOUNCING  THE  NEAR  APPROACH  OF  THE  COMPLE- 
TION OF  THE  TWENTY-FIFTH  YEAR  OF  HIS  POPEDOM, 
AND  PROCLAIMING  PLENARY  INDULGENCES,  SUBJECT 
TO   THE  WILL  OF  ORDINARIES   OF   DIOCESES. 

To  all  Patriarchs,  Primates,  Archbishops,  Bishops,  and 
other  Ordinaries  of  Places  in  Grace  and  Communion 
with  the  Apostolic  See  : 

PIUS    PP.    IX. 

Venerable  Brethren  :  Health  and  the  apostolic 
benediction  !  The  bounties  of  God  call  us  to  praise 
his  goodness,  since  they  show  forth  the  glory  of  his 
majesty,  and  a  new  gift  of  his  safe  keeping  in  our  re- 
gard. For  now  the  twenty-fifth  year  is  about  to  be 
fulfilled  since,  by  the  will  of  God,  we  undertook  the 
ministry  of  this  apostolate.  How  thorny  the  times 
of  our  pontificate  have  been  is  so  well  known  to  you, 
that  it  needs  not  our  telling. 

It  is  most  clear  to  you,  venerable  brethren,  from  the 
whole  history  of  what  has  happened,  that  the  church 

453 


454  Appendix. 

militant  is  holding  its  course,  tossed  always  between 
contests  and  victories.  Most  surely,  God  governs 
all  that  takes  place,  and  rules  on  this  globe,  that  is  his 
footstool.  Most  surely,  that  he  may  fulfil  all  the  coun- 
sels of  his  wisdom,  he  makes  use,  often,  of  instruments 
weak  and  scorned. 

It  is  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  the  author  and  highest 
ruler  of  the  church,  which  he  bought  with  his  own 
blood,  who,  moved  also  by  the  prayers  of  St.  Peter, 
the  most  blessed  prince  of  the  apostles,  who  ever 
lives  and  governs  in  this  See  of  Rome— for  the  greater 
glory  of  his  name,  and  for  the  good  of  his  people- 
has,  by  his  free  grace  and  strength,  vouchsafed  to 
govern  and  uphold  our  weakness  and  littleness,  even 
to  this  lengthened  time  of  our  apostolic  calling. 

Hence  it  is  that,  leaning  on  his  aid,  and  ever  using 
the  counsels  of  our  venerable  brethren,  the  cardinals 
of  the  Holy  Roman  Church ;  and,  more  than  once, 
calling  you  hither,  venerable  brethren,  who  have 
flocked  to  us  at  Rome,  adorning  this  see  of  apostolic 
truth  by  the  beauty  of  your  virtue  and  of  your  united 
devotion;  we  have  availed,  in  the  course  of  this  our 
pontificate,  by  our  decree,  and  that  of  the  church 
throughout  the  world,  to  declare,  by  a  dogmatic  de- 
finition, the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin 
Mother  of  God. 

We  have,  in  the  like  manner,  decreed  the  honor 
of  worship  as  saints  to  a  large  number  of  heroes  of 
the  Catholic  faith,  by  whose  intercession— as  especi- 


Appendix.  455 

ally  by  that  of  the  Mother  of  God — we  have  full  hope 
that,  speedily,  help  will  be  brought,  in  these  distress- 
ing times,  to  the  Catholic  Church. 

It  has  been  equally  to  the  advantage  and  to  the 
renown  of  the  Catholic  Church,  that,  in  distant  and 
unfriendly  regions  of  country,  we  have  spread  the 
light  of  the  true  faith  by  Catholic  missionaries,  and 
have  established  the  order  of  an  ecclesiastical  hie- 
rarchy in  sundry  places. 

We  have,  also,  stamped  with  condemnations  the 
most  solemn,  prevalent  errors,  fearfully  increasing 
in  our  days,  against  human  reason  ;  against  right 
morals ;  against  the  civil  as  well  as  the  Christian  com- 
monweal. Also,  God  helping,  we  have  tried  to  put  in 
harmony,  both  in  Europe  and  in  parts  of  America, 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  rights. 

In  many  parts  of  the  Eastern  Church,  also,  which, 
from  the  beginning  of  our  apostolic  ministry  we  have 
held  in  special  regard,  we  have  taken  counsel  for  the 
Catholic  welfare. 

Of  late,  also,  it  has  been  granted  to  us  to  begin,  and 
to  carry  forward,  the  Oecumenical  Council  of  the  Vati- 
can, some  of  whose  fruits  have  been  received  to  the 
very  great  profit  of  the  Church,  while  others  have,  for 
causes  well  known,  been  postponed  by  our  order. 

Nor,  venerable  brethren,  have  we  ever  failed  in  what 
the  duty  and  obligation  of  our  civil  state  required  of 
us.  The  greetings  and  praises  that,  as  you  well  re- 
member, made  an  exception  of  the  beginnings  of  our 


456  Appendix. 

pontificate,  were,  in  a  short  time,  so  changed  to  re- 
proaches and  hostile  actions,  that  they  compelled  us 
to  go  as  an  exile  from  this  our  beloved  city.  But,  so 
soon  as,  by  the  united  care  and  prowess  of  Catholic 
peoples  and  princes,  we  were  restored  to  this  our  See, 
forthwith  we  used  all  our  power  to  the  increasing  and 
harmonizing,  for  our  faithful  subjects,  of  that  solid  and 
true  prosperity,  that  we  have  ever  recognized  as  the 
most  weighty  of  the  duties  of  our  civil  sovereignty. 

Then  it  was,  however,  that  the  greed  of  a  neighbor- 
ing power  sighed  after  the  possession  of  our  temporal 
states;  preferred  obstinately  the  whisperings  of  the 
sects  of  hell  to  our  paternal  and  repeated  admoni- 
tions and  words  ;  and  at  last,  as  you  know,  surpassing 
far  the  shamelessness  of  that  prodigal  son  that  we  read 
of  in  the  Gospel,  has  attacked  with  force  and  arms  this, 
our  very  city,  that  he  coveted  for  himself,  and  now, 
against  all  right,  holds  in  his  grasp,  as  if  it  were  his 
property.  It  is  impossible,  venerable  brethren,  that 
we  should  not  be  vehemently  moved  at  this  wicked 
usurpation  by  cause  of  which  we  are  suffering.  We 
groan  within  ourselves  exceedingly,  recognizing  in  this 
iniquity  the  plottings  that  look  not  only  to  the  sub- 
version of  our  civil  principality,  but  also,  and  together 
with  it— if  that  were  possible — that  our  spiritual  power 
and  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth  might  be  blotted 
out.  We  groan  in  anguish,  in  view  of  so  great  evils, 
of  those,  especially,  by  which  the  everlasting  salvation 
of  our  people  is  brought  in  danger. 


Appendix.  457 

And  in  the  sharpness  of  our  sorrow  nothing 
more  grieves  us  than  that  we  are  deprived  of  the 
liberty  wanting  to  apply  the  needed  remedies  for 
such  evils.  And  to  these  causes  of  our  sorrow, 
venerable  brethren,  there  has  been  added  the  long 
and  pitiable  series  of  woes  and  ills  which  have 
stricken  and  afflicted  the  most  noble  French  na- 
tion. These  evils  have  been  vastly  increased  in 
late  days  by  outrages  unmentionable,  perpetrated 
by  savage  and  abandoned  men  ;  and,  especially,  the 
atrocious  crime  of  impious  parricide,  in  the  slaying  of 
our  venerable  brother  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  has 
harrowed  our  soul,  as  you  well  understand,  from  the 
awe  and  horror  that  act  has  excited  throughout  the 
world.  There  is,  finally,  another  and  even  deeper 
bitterness  that  we  suffer,  venerable  brethren:  It  is  the 
sight  of  so  many  children  rebellious  against  us,  loaded 
with  the  chains  of  so  many  and  heavy  censures,  with 
no  ear  for  our  paternal  words  recalling  them  to  duty, 
no  care  for  their  eternal  salvation,  flouting  the  long- 
suffering  of  God,  who  has  given  them  time  for  repen- 
tance, and  provoking  obstinately  the  wrath  of  God's 
vengeance,  when  they  should  rather  try  the  timely 
fruit  of  his  mercy. 

But  now,  through  all  these  vicissitudes  of  affairs, 
the  most  Merciful  God  being  our  protector,  we  see 
approaching  that  birthday  of  our  elevation,  on  which, 
as  we  have  succeeded  to  the  See  of  the  blessed  Peter, 
so,  though  very  far  from  equalling  him  in  his  merits, 


458 


Appendix. 


we  are  found  his  companion  in  the  prolonged  years 
of  his  apostolic  service.  This  new  gift  vouchsafed  by- 
God  is  singular  and  great.  To  us,  alone,  it  has  been 
granted,  out  of  the  great  array  of  our  most  holy  pre- 
decessors, through  the  long  course  of  nineteen  cen- 
turies. This  is  God's  doing.  So,  too,  we  recognize  in 
it  the  more  wonderful  goodness  of  God,  when  we  see 
that  during  this  time  of  our  Pontificate  we  have  been 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  persecution  for  justice's 
sake  ;  and  again,  when  we  behold  the  astonishing 
movement  of  devotion  and  love  by  which  Christian 
peoples  are  most  earnestly  stirred,  in  all  lands,  to- 
wards this  holy  See,  with  an  impulse  without  excep- 
tion. 

We  try  our  powers  in  vain,  to  answer  our  duty  of 
thanksgiving  for  all  these  favors  granted  to  us,  who 
are  so  unworthy  of  them.  Therefore,  while  we  beseech 
the  Immaculate  Virgin  Mother  of  God  to  teach  us  to 
give  glory  to  the  Most  High,  in  the  self-same  mind  as 
she  did,  in  those  grand  words  :  Fecit  mihi  magna  qui 
potens  est  ("  He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  great  things 
for  me  "),  we  ask  you  also,  venerable  brethren,  that, 
with  the  flocks  committed  to  you,  you  will  say  with  us 
canticles  and  songs  of  praise  and  thanks  to  God. 
Magnificate  vos  Domitium  mecum — "Magnify  the  Lord 
with  me  "■ — (we  say  in  the  words  of  Pope  Leo  the 
Great),  and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together,  that  all  the 
graces  and  favors  we  have  received  may  redound  to 
the   glory  of  the   Giver  of  them   all.     But  tell,   also. 


Appendix.  459 

your  faithful  people  that  our  burning  love  and  most 
grateful  affections  go  forth  to  them  for  the  man)' 
testimonies  and  duties  that  they  have  so  long  and  so 
signally  rendered. 

For  what  belongs  to  us,  while  we  may  rightly  take 
the  words  of  the  royal  prophet :  Incolatus  metis  pro- 
longatus est  {"The  time  of  our  abiding  here  has  been 
prolonged  "),  we  need  the  help  of  your  most  earnest 
prayers,  that  we  may  have  strength  and  confidence 
rightly  to  give  back  our  soul  to  the  Prince  of  shep- 
herds, in  whose  bosom  is  the  comforting  for  the  evds 
of  this  thorn-set  and  troubled  life,  the  blessed  haven 
of  undying  quiet  and  peace. 

But,  that  the  benefits  God  has  lavished  on  our  Pon- 
tificate may  redound  to  his  greater  glory,  opening  the 
treasury  of  spiritual  graces,  we  give  you  power,  vene- 
rable brethren,  to  each  one  in  his  diocese,  either  on 
the  sixteenth  of  June  [day  of  Papal  election  of  Pope 
Pius  IX.]  or  on  the  twenty-first  [the  day  of  the  Pon- 
tifical coronation  of  our  Holy  Father],  or  on  any 
other  day,  to  be  chosen  at  your  will,  that  you  may 
give  the  Papal  benediction,  with  the  addition  of 
plenary  indulgence,  by  our  Apostolic  authority,  in 
the  usual  form  of  the  Church.  And  wishing  to 
promote  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  faithful  by 
the  tenor  of  these  letters  now  written,  we  grant,  in 
the  Lord,  to  all  the  faithful  in  Christ,  whether 
secular  or  regular,  and  of  either  sex,  wherever  or  in 
whichsoever  of  your  dioceses  they  may  be,  who  shall 


460  Appendix. 

have  made  a  good  confession,  and  received  Holy  Com- 
munion, and  will  have  prayed  to  God  for  concord 
among  Christian  princes,  the  extirpation  of  heresies, 
and  the  triumph  of  the  Catholic  Church  ;  on  whatever 
day  you  may  severally  have  appointed  or  chosen  for 
granting  this  benediction,  that  they  may  gain  a 
plenar}'  indulgence  for  all  their  sins.  In  vacant  sees, 
we  grant  the  same,  subject  to  the  day  chosen  by  the 
vicars  capitular.  Nor  do  we  doubt  that,  on  this 
opportunity,  the  faithful  will  be  stirred  to  prayer,  and 
that,  by  their  multiplied  supplications,  we  may  re- 
ceive that  mercy  which  the  view  of  so  many  pass- 
ing evils  leads  us  the  more  earnestly  to  seek. 

For  you,  meantime,  venerable  brethren,  we  implore 
from  God  Almighty  constancy,  heavenly  hope,  and 
every  consolation  ;  as  the  earnest  of  which,  and  the 
pledge  of  our  greatest  affection,  we  wish  to  give  to 
you.,  and  to  the  clergy  and  people  committed  to  your 
care,  our  apostolic  benediction  from  an  overflowing 
neart. 

Given  at  Rome,  at  St.  Peter's,  on  June  4,  Feast  of 
the  Holy  Trinity,  a.d.  1871,  the  twenty-fifth  of  our 
Pontificate. 

PIUS   PP.   IX. 


V. 


ENCYCLICAL  LETTER  OF  OUR  MOST  HOLY  FATHER 

PIUS  IX.,  BY  DIVINE   PROVIDENCE  POPE, 

To  all  Patriarchs,  Primates,  Archbishops,  Bishops,  and 
other  Ordinaries  of  Places  in  Grace  and  Communion 
with  the  Apostolic  See. 

PIUS   PP.    IX. 

Venerable  Brethren  :  Salutations  and  the  apos- 
tolic benediction.  Often,  venerable  brethren,  in  this 
prolonged  Pontificate,  we  have  turned  towards  you 
and  witnessed  to  you  how  thankfully  we  have  taken 
the  proofs  of  the  devotion  and  love  which  the  God 
of  mercies  has  put  in  your  hearts,  and  in  those  of  the 
faithful  committed  to  your  trust,  towards  us  and  this 
Apostolic  See.  And  truly,  since  the  enemies  of  God 
began  to  invade  his  civil  possession,  that,  at  length, 
were  it  possible,  they  might  prevail  against  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  Church,  "which  is  his  body  and  the 
fulness  of  him";  you,  venerable  brethren,  and  the 
Chiistian  people  have  never  ceased  to  pray  God, 
"  whom  the  winds  and  the  sea  obey,"  that  he  would 

vouchsafe  to  lay  the  storm  ;  nor  have  you   left  off  at 

46i 


462  Appendix. 

any  time  repeating  pledges  of  your  love,  and  using 
every  means  by  which  you  might  solace  us  in  our  trou- 
ble. And,  after  that,  this  city — the  capitol  of  the  whole 
Catholic  world — has  been  taken  from  us  by  force,  and 
we  given  over  to  the  will  of  those  that  would  crush 
us,  you.  with  the  great  body  of  the  faithful  of  your 
dioceses,  have  redoubled  your  prayers,  and,  by  fre- 
quent denunciations  of  the  wrong-doers,  have  main- 
tained the  rights  of  religion  and  of  justice,  trampled 
under  foot  by  an  unheard-of  effrontery. 

But  now,  when  an  event  has  come  to  pass  that  has 
been  unknown  since  the  days  of  St.  Peter,  and  unex- 
ampled in  the  whole  list  of  Roman  Pontiffs,  that  we 
have  reached  the  beginning  of  the  twenty-sixth  year 
of  our  Apostolic  ministry  in  the  Roman  See,  you 
have  so  shown  your  gladness  for  this  great  favor  be- 
stowed upon  our  unworthiness,  and  have  so  clearly 
proved  that  the  whole  family  of  the  faithful  are  in- 
stinct with  the  most  vigorous  life,  that  we  have  been 
most  deeply  moved  by  your  piety.  So  it  is  that  we 
join  our  prayers  to  yours,  and  take  courage  anew, 
to  hope  and  confidently  await  a  full  and  finisheo 
triumph  of  the  church. 

It  has  been  most  welcome  to  us  that  very  fre- 
quent gatherings  of  pious  supplicants  have  flocked 
to  the  more  noted  shrines  of  devotion  in  various 
churches;  and  that,  throughout  the  whole  world, 
churches  have  been  thronged  in  union  with  their  several 
pastors,   by  prayers  and  the  reception    of  the  sacra- 


Appendix.  463 

ments,  thanking  God  for  the  grace  bestowed  on  us, 
and  praying  earnestly  for  the  triumph  of  the  church 
that  can  come  from  him  alone. 

Our  sorrows  and  our  cares  have  not  only  been  light- 
ened, but  they  have  been  turned  into  joy  by  the 
greetings,  the  professions  of  duty,  the  holy  wishes, 
and  by  the  many  visits  of  the  faithful,  often  of 
noble  birth  or  of  high  ecclesiastical  or  civil  station, 
but  more  noble  by  the  proofs  of  their  faith,  all  unit- 
ed ;  both  of  those  from  this  city  of  Rome,  and  of  our 
invaded  provinces,  and  of  regions  far  away,  that  have 
come  to  testify  towards  us  their  devotion,  even  at 
the  cost  of  enduring  the  dangers  and  insults  to  which 
we  are  continually  exposed.  This  they  have  done  in 
order  to  show  their  own  sentiments  of  religion,  and 
also  those  of  their  fellow-citizens,  towards  us  ;  and 
they  brought  us  volumes  in  which  tens  of  thousands 
of  the  faithful  of  every  nation  had  inscribed  their 
names,  branding  most  severely  the  invasion  of  our 
dominion,  and  demanding  most  earnestly  its  restitu- 
tion, as  required  by  justice,  by  religion,  and  even 
by  civilization  itself. 

On  this  occasion  the  Peter-pence  flowed  in  to  us 
in  larger  measure  than  usual,  as  poor  and  rich  vied 
with  each  other  in  readiness  to  supply  our  need  ;  and 
to  these  contributions  were  added  gifts  of  various 
kinds,  and  very  grand  ones,  the  shining  tribute  of 
divers  Christian  arts,  consecrated  to  the  honor  of 
the  twofold  power— spiritual  and  regal— that  we  hold 


464  Appendix. 

from  God.  And,  besides  these,  an  ample  and  elegant 
collection  of  sacred  vestments  and  vessels,  wherewith 
we  may  be  able  to  supply  the  need  and  poverty  of  so 
many  churches  in  various  parts. 

Wonderful,  indeed,  was  the  spectacle  of  Catholic 
unit}',  which  thus  showed  that  the  universal  church, 
though  spread  through  the  whole  world,  and  compos- 
ed of  peoples  most  diverse  in  customs,  dispositions, 
and  pursuits,  is  yet  informed  by  the  One  Spirit  of 
God  ;  and  thus,  by  him,  the  more  marvellously 
strengthened,  the  more  wickedness  attacks  and 
presses  on  it,  and  strives  the  more  cunningly  to  strip 
it  of  all  human  aid. 

Therefore  we  attribute  those  blessings  to  the  Giver 
of  all  good,  but  we  at  the  same  time  feel  our  heart 
filled  with  gratitude  toward  those  who,  making  them- 
selves the  instruments  of  Providence,  have  lent  us 
the  aid  of  their  help,  their  consolations,  their  devo- 
tion, their  piety,  and  their  love.  And,  with  our  eyes 
and  hands  raised  to  heaven,  we  offer  to  the  Lord  all 
that  has  been  given  us  by  our  sons,  in  his  name, 
beseeching  him  to  give  a  speedy  satisfaction  to  their 
common  wishes  for  the  liberty  of  this  holy  See,  for 
the  victory  of  the  church,  for  the  tranquillity  of  the 
world,  and  to  grant  them,  to  each  one  generously, 
in  heavenly  and  worldly  matters,  the  reward  which  we 
ourselves  cannot  bestow. 

We  would  wish,  indeed,  to  be  able  to  express  to  all, 
and  each  in   particular,   our  gratitude,  and   to  assure 


Appendix.  465 

them  of  our  good-will,  but  the  immense  abundance  of 
the  presents  made  to  us,  in  substantials,  in  writings, 
and  in  words,  does  not  permit  it. 

Therefore,  that  we  may   fulfil   in   some   measure    a 
part  of  our  desires,  we  beg  you,  venerable  brethren, 
to  whom  we  give  the  first-fruits  of  these  sentiments 
of  gratitude,  to  declare   them  and  make  them  known 
publicly  to  your  clergy  and  people.     Urge  them  all  to 
persevere   constantly,   and   with   confidence    to    pray 
with  you;  for  if  the  assiduous  prayer  of  the  just  man 
pierces  the  clouds  and  does   not  cease  till  the  Most 
High  deign  to  hear — if  Christ  has  promised  to  be  in 
the    midst   of  two    persons   united   for   prayer  in  his 
name,   and   to   obtain   from    his    heavenly  Father   all 
they   shall    ask,   how   much   more   surely   the   entire 
church,   united    in    prayer,    shall,    finally,  after   hav- 
ing touched  the  divine  Justice,  have  granted  to  her 
to  see  the  powers  of  hell  broken,  the  efforts  of  human 
malice  overturned  and  destroyed,  and  peace  and  jus- 
tice restored  to  earth  ! 

And  for  your  part,  venerable  brethren,  apply  your 
vhole  mind  and  all  your  strength  to  a  more  lasting 
and  perfect  union  between  you,  in  order  to  present, 
as  it  were,  a  close  and  compact  battalion  to  the  ene- 
mies of  God  who  attack  the  church,  which  no  force 
can  destroy,  with  ever- fresh  rage  and  new  devices,  in 
order  that  you  may  be  able  to  resist  their  charge 
and  rout  their  srmy  with  greater  facility  and  surer 
victory.       This     our     desire     we     ask    eagerly,    and 


466  Appendix. 

wish  for  you  from  the  bottom  of  our  heart,  for  you 
and  the  entire  Catholic  family.  And  as  a  presage 
of  that  very  desirable  event,  and  of  the  divine  favor, 
we  grant,  from  the  depths  of  our  heart,  to  each  one 
of  you,  venerable  brethren,  to  the  clergy  and  all  the 
people  confided  to  your  care,  the  Apostolic  bene- 
diction, as  a  sure  testimony  of  our  good-will  and 
gratitude. 

Given  at  Rome,  at  St.  Peter's,  on  August  5,  Feast  of 
St.  Mary  in  the  Esquiline  (ad Nives),  A.D.  1871,  of  our 

Pontificate  the  twenty-sixth. 

PIUS    PP.    IX. 


VI. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   TABLE  OF  THE  ROMAN  PONTIFFS 

Down  to  the   Reigning   Pontiff,  Pius  IX.,  the  258TH  in  Succession 
from  St.  Peter,  showing  the  Date  of  their  Respec- 
tive Accessions  and  Df.aths. 


A.  D. 

A.  D. 

42-67.  St.  Peter. 

259-269.  St.  Dionysius. 

fSt.  Linus. 

269-274.  St.  Felix  I. 

Dates 

uncer-  ' 

tain. 

St.  Anacletus. 
St.  Clement  1. 

274-283.  St.  Eutychian. 
283-296.  St.  Caius. 

'•St.  Evaristus. 

304.  St.  Marcellinus 

119.  St.  Alexander  I. 

308-310.  St.  Marcellus  I. 

127.  St.  Sixtus  I. 

310.  St.  Eusebius. 

127-139.  St.  Telesphorus. 

311-314.  St.  Melchiades. 

139-142.  St.  Hyginus. 

SH^S-  St.  Sylvester. 

142-157.  St.  Pius. 

336.  St.  Marcus. 

137-168.  St.  Anicetus. 

336-352.  St.  Julius  I. 

168-177.  St.  Soter. 

352-366.  Liberius. 

177-192.  St.  Eleutherius. 

366-384.  St.  Damasus  I. 

192-202.  St.  Victor  I. 

385-398.  St.  Siricius. 

202-219.  St.  Zephyrinus 

598-402.  St.  Anastasius. 

219-223.  St.  Calixtus. 

402-417.  St.  Innocent  I. 

223-230.  St.  Urban. 

417-418.  St.  Zozimus  I. 

230-235.  St.  Pontian. 

418-422.  St.  Boniface  I. 

235-236.  St.  Anterus. 

423-432.  St.  Celestine  I. 

236-250.  St.  Fabian. 

432-440.  St.  Sixtus  III. 

251-252.  St.  Cornelius. 

440-461.  St.  Leo  I. 

253.  St.  Lucius. 

461-468.  St.  Hilary. 

253-257.  St.  Stephen  I. 

468-483.  St.  Simplicius. 

257  -258. 

St.  Sixtus  II. 

483-492.  St.  Felix  II. 

467 


468 


Appendix. 


A.  D. 

A.  D. 

492-496.  St.  Gelasius. 

715-731-  St.  Gregory  II. 

496-497.  St.  Anastasius  II. 

731-741.  St.  Gregory  III 

498-514.  St.  Symmachus. 

741-752.  St.  Zacharias. 

514-323.  St.  Hormisdas. 

752.  Stephen  IL 

523-525.  St.  John  I. 

752-757  St.  Stephen  III. 

526-530.  St.  Felix  III. 

757-767.  St.  Paul  I. 

530-532-  St.  Boniface  II. 

767-772.  Stephen  IV. 

533-535-  St.  John  II. 

772-795.  Hadrian  I. 

535-530.  St.  Agapetus  I. 

795-S16.  St.  Leo  III. 

536-540.  St.  Sylverius. 

816.  Stephen  V. 

540-555-  Vigilius. 

817-824.  St.  Paschal  I. 

555-560.  Pelagius  I. 

824-S27.  Eugenius. 

560-573.  John  III. 

827.  Valentine. 

574-578-  Benedict  I. 

827-844.  Gregory  IV. 

578-590.  Pelagius  II. 

844-847.  Sergius  II. 

590-604.  St.  Gregory  I. 

847-855.  St.  Leo  IV. 

604-605.  Sabinianus. 

855-858.  Benedict  III. 

606.  Bonifacius  III. 

858-867.  St.  Nicholas  I. 

607-614.  St.  Bonifacius  IV. 

867-872.  Hadrian  II. 

615-618.  Deusdedit. 

872-882.  John  VIII. 

619-625.  Bonifacius  V. 

882-884.  Marinus. 

625-638.  Honoiius  I. 

884-885.  Hadrian  III. 

640.  Severinus. 

885-891.  Stephen  V. 

640-642.  John  IV. 

891-895.  Formosus. 

642-649.  Theodorus. 

895-896.  Bonifacius  VI. 

649-655.  St.  Martin  I. 

896-897.  Stephen  VI. 

655-657-  Eugenius. 

897.  Romanus. 

657-672.  St.  Vitalian. 

898.  Theodorus  II. 

672-676.  Adeodatus. 

898-900.  John  IX. 

676-678.  Domnus. 

goo-903.  Benedict  IV. 

679-682.  St.  Agatho. 

903.  Leo  V. 

682-683.  St.  Leo  II. 

903.  Christophorus. 

685.  St.  Benedict  II. 

904-911.  Sergius  III. 

685-686.  John  V. 

911-913.  Anastasius  III. 

687.  Conon. 

913.  Landus. 

687-701.  St.  Sergius  I. 

914-028.  John  X. 

701-705.  John  VI. 

928.  Leo  VI. 

705-707.  John  VII. 

929-931.  Stephen  VII. 

708.  Sisinnius. 

931-936.  John  XL 

708-715.  Constantine. 

936-939.  Leo  VII. 

Appendix. 


469 


A.  D. 

A.  D. 

939-942.  Stephen  VIII. 

1159-1181.  Alexander  III. 

942-946.  Martin  III. 

1181-1185.  Lucius  III. 

946-955.  Agapctus. 

1185-1187.  Urban  III. 

956-964.  John  XII. 

1 187.  Gregory  VIII. 

964.  Benedict  V. 

11S7-1191.  Clement  III. 

965-972.  John  XIII. 

1191-1198.  Celestine  III. 

972-973.  Benedict  VI. 

1198-1216.  Innocent  III. 

974.  Domnus  II. 

1226-1227.  Honorius  III. 

975-9S4.  Benedict  VII. 

1227-1241.  Gregory  IX. 

9S4-985.  John  XIV. 

1241.  Celestine  IV. 

985-996.  John  XV. 

1241-1254.  Innocent  IV. 

996-999.  Gregory  V. 

1254-1261.  Alexander  IV. 

999-1003.  Sylvester  II. 

1261-1264.  Urban  IV. 

1003.  John  XVII. 

1264-1268.  Clement  IV. 

1003-1009.  John  XVIII. 

1271-1276.  Gregory  X. 

1009-1012.  Sergius  IV. 

1276.  Innocent  V. 

1012-1024.  Benedict  VIII 

1276.  Hadrian  V. 

1024-1035.  John  XIX. 

1276-1277.  John  XXI.  (XX.) 

1033-1044.  Benedict  IX. 

1277-1280.  Nicholas  III. 

1044-1046.  Gregory  VI. 

1281-1285.  Martin  IV. 

1046-1047.  Clement  II. 

1285-1287.  Honorius  IV. 

1048.  Damasus  II. 

1288-1292.  Nicholas  IV. 

1049-1054.  St.  Leo  IX. 

1294.  Celestine  V. 

1055-1057.  Victor  II. 

1394-1303.  Bonifacius  VIII. 

1057-1058.  Stephen  IX. 

1303-1304.  Benedict  XL 

1058-1061.  Nicholas  II. 

1061-1073.  Alexander  II. 

Seventy  Years'  Residence  in 

1073-1085.  St.  Gregory  VII. 

A  vignon. 

1086-1087.  Victor  III. 

1088-1099.  Urban  II. 

1305-1314.  Clement  V. 

1099-1118.  Paschal  II. 

1316-1334.  John  XXII. 

1118.  Gelasius  II. 

1334-1342.  Benedict  XII. 

1118-1124.  Calixtus  II. 

1342-1352.  Clement  VI. 

1124-1130.  Honorius  II. 

1352-1362.  Innocent  VI. 

1130-1143.  Innocent  II. 

1362-1370.  Urban  V. 

1143.  Celestine  II. 

1370-1378.  Gregory  XL 

1144-1145.  Lucius  II. 

J145-1153.  Eugenius  III. 

Return  to  Residence  in  Ron 

1153-1154.  Anastasius  IV. 

1154-1159.  Hadrian  IV. 

1378-1389.  Urban  VI. 

47o 


Appendix. 


Forty  Years'  Disputed  Succession. 
{Roman  tine.) 

A.D. 

1389-1404.  Boniface  IX. 
1404-1406.  Innocent  VII. 
1406-1417.  Gregory  XII. 

(Rival  Popes.) 

Clement  VII. 
Benedict  XIII. 
Alexander  V. 
John  XXIII. 


1417-1431- 
1431-1447. 

1447-1455- 
1455-1458. 
1458-1464. 
1464-1471. 
1471-1484. 
1484-1492. 
1492-1503. 

i5°3- 
1503-1513- 
1513-1521. 
1522-1523. 
»523-i534- 
'334-I549- 
I55i*-i555- 

1555- 
"555-  1559- 


Martin  V. 
Eugenius  IV. 
Nicholas  V. 
Calixtus  III. 
Pius  II. 
Paul  II. 
SixtusIV. 
Innocent  VIII. 
Alexander  VI. 
Pius  III. 
Julius  II. 
Leo  X. 
Hadrian  VI. 
Clement  VII. 
Paul  III. 
Julius  III. 
Marcellus  II. 
Paul  IV. 


A.D. 

1559-1565-  Pius  IV. 
1566-1572.  St.  Pius  V. 
1572-1585.  Gregory  XIII. 
1585-1590.  Sixtus  V. 
1590.  Urban  VII. 

1590.  Gregory  XIV. 

1591.  Innocent  IX. 
1592-1605.  Clement  VIII. 

1605.  Leo  XL 
1605-1621.  Paul  V. 
1621-1623.  Gregory  XV. 
1623-1644.  Urban  VIII. 
1644-1655.  Innocent  X. 
1655-1667.  Alexander  VII. 
1667-1669.  Clement  IX. 
1670-1676.  Clement  X. 
1676-1689.  Innocent  XL 
1689-1691.  Alexander  VIIL 
1691-1700.  Innocent  XII. 
1700-1721.  Clement  XL 
1721-1724.  Innocent  XIII. 
1724-1730.  Benedict  XIII. 
1730-1740.  Clement  XII. 
1740-1758.  Benedict  XIV. 
1758-1769.  Clement  XIII. 
1769-1774.  Clement  XIV 
1775-1799.  Piub  VI. 
1800-1821.  Pius  VII. 
1823-1829.  Leo  XII. 
1829-1830.  Pius  VIII. 
1831-1846.  Gregory  XVI. 
1846- 1878.  Pius  IX. 
1878.  Leo  XIII. 


VII. 
BRIEF  EULOGIUM  OF  PIUS  IX. 

[This  Eulogium,  comprising  the  principal  events  of  the  life  and  reign 
of  Pius  IX.,  was  written  by  Monsignor  Mercurelli,  and,  in  accordance 
with  the  usual  custom,  was  placed  in  the  tomb  of  the  deceased  Pontiff.) 

CORPUS  CONDITUM 

Pn  IX.  P.  M. 

Hie  die   13  Maii  anni   1792,  Senogalliae,  quarto  loco 

natus  e  coniugio  Comitum  Hieronimi  Mastai-Ferretti 

et  Catharinae  Solazzi,  Joannis  Mariae  nomen   i'n  bap- 

tismate  sortitus  est.     Litteris  excultus  Voluterris  apud 

Patres  a  Scholis  Piis,  et  severioribus  disciplinis  Romae, 

ad  presbyteratum  promotus  anno  1819  primum  sacrum 

peregit    die    solemni    Paschatis    in    templo    S.    Annae 

orphanotrophii,  cui  nomen  a  fundatore  Tata-Giovamu 

et  cui   praefuit.     Deinde    Praesuli   Joanni    Muzi,   qui 

pro  Chiliensi  aliisque  regionibus  Americae  meridionalis 

Delegatus  et  Vicarius  Apostolicus  constitutus  fuerat. 

sacus  adjectus,  anno  1823   Roma  discessit.     Rediens 

vero  anno  1825  a  Leone  XII.  sa :  me  :  praepositus  fuit 

Hospitio  Apostolico  ;  ac  biennio  post  renunciatus  et 

consecraUis     Arcbiepiscopus    Episcopus    Spoletanus. 

Omnibus  ibi  se  praebuit  instructum   optimi  Episcopi 

dotibus,  et  praesertim  caritate  et  prudentia ;  quarum 

471 


472 


Appendix. 


praeclara  cdidit  exempla  turn  anno  1831,  cum  Delega- 
tione  extraordinaria  in  Spoletanam  et  Perusinam  pro- 
vinciam  auctus  ad  compescendos  rebelles,  sola  comi- 
tate et  subsidiis  ad  discessum  elargitis,  eos  adduxit  ad 
arma  sponte  tradenda,  quae  Romam  misit;  turn  anno 
insequenti,  cum  Umbria  vehementibus  quassata  terrae 
motibus,  afflictissimi  populi  levaminl  se  totum  impen- 
dit.  Eximia  menta  utilem  suaserunt  Gregorio  XVI. 
ipsius  translationem  ad  sedem  Forocorneliensem,  eo 
ipso  anno  vacantem  ;  ubi  se  in  universo  pastoralis 
muneris  exercitio  sibi  parem  exbibuit.  Primus  ipse 
Italorum  Praesulum  in  earn  dioecesim  pium  opus  Pro- 
pagationis  Fidei  canonice  invexit  ac  promovit  ;  et 
praeclarum  inter  cetera  edidit  fortitudinis  et  caritatis 
Episcopalis  exemplum  anno  1846,  cum  solus  per  horas 
vespertinas  orans  in  cathedrali  teinplo  hominem  a 
tribus  impetitum  sicariis  incolumen  servavit.  Quo- 
circa  idem  Pontifex  eum  in  Consistorio  diei  23  Decem- 
bris  anni  1839  reservatum  in  pectore,  die  i4"Decembris 
insequentis  anni  Purpura  decoravit.  Ut  nuncium  ac- 
cepit  decessus  Gregorii  XVI.  Romam  se  contulit  pro 
novi  Pontificis  electione  ;  sed  mira  celeritate  coeunti- 
bus  in  eum  suflfragiis,  ipse  ad  Petri  Cathedram  fuit 
evectus.  Laetitiam  tamen  omnibus  ab  insuetae  rei 
nuncio  inditam  cito  in  luctum  converterunt  religionis 
et  publici  ordinis  hostes ;  et,  rebellione  commota,  sic 
Pontificem  circumvenerunt,  ut  ipse  vix,  et  non  sine 
peculiari  divino  auxilio,  ex  eorum  manibus  elabi 
potuerit    et    Caietam     petere.       Ibi     humanissime    et 


Appendix.  473 

obsequentissime  exceptus  a  Rege  Neapolis,  duni  to- 
tius  catholici  orbis  testimonia  venerationis  et  mu- 
nera  excipicbat,  animum  adjiciens  ad  religionis  de- 
trimenta,  ad  accisa  Sanctac  Sedis  jura,  ad  deceptos 
veteratorum  machinationibus  populos,  per  allocu- 
tiones  ct  litteras  Apostolicas,  gratum  animum  suum 
testatus  fuit,  fidelibus  miserrimam  religiosarum  rerum 
conditionem  exposuit,  opem  imploravit  catholicorum 
principum,  veram  consiliorum  indolem  hostium  Ec- 
clesiae  populis  aperuit  ;  ac  praeterea  egit  de  resti- 
tuenda  deleta  jamdiu  in  Anglia  Ecclesiastica  1 1  i  e  - 
rarchia,  et  pro  sua  insigni  in  Deiparam  pictate, 
toti  nunciavit  Episcopatui  disquisitiones  se  mandante 
inslitutas  ad  definiendum  immaculatum  Illius  con- 
ceptual, omnesque  rogavit  ut  ad  boc  secum  orarent, 
ac  quae  traditio  apud  eos  bac  de  re  vigeret,  referrent- 
Rom  am  vero  christianorum  armis  reductus,  urbe  et 
orbe  plaudentibus,  non  minorem  Orientalis  quam  Oc- 
cidentalis  Ecclesiae  curam  egit.  Et  sicut  jam  anno 
1S47  restituerat  jurisdictionem  Hierosolymitani  Patri- 
archae  Latini,  et  insequenti  anno  electionem  confirma- 
verat  Babilonensis  Patriarchae  proChaldaeis  ;  sic  pos- 
tea  Orientales  Ecclesias  schismate,  insectatione,  interi- 
oribus  dissidiis  laborantes,  novis  initis  rationibus,  aucto 
Episcoporum  numero,  officiis  omnibus,  liberalitate,  et 
misso  etiam  Apostolico  Delegato,  et  Legato  a  Latere, 
tueri,  relevare,  conciliare  inter  se  indefesso  studio  con- 
tendit.  Nihil  pariter  omisit  ut  Russicam  catholicae 
religionis  insectationem  compesceret  aut  saltern  leni- 


474 


Appendix 


ret,  sive  per  propositas  conventiones,  sive  per  illius 
Imperii  Ministros,  sive  per  publicas  expostulationes, 
sive  per  peculiares  ad  Imperatorem  litteras,  sive  per 
Delegatum  ad  eura  missum,  dum  interim  Ruthenos  de- 
fendere  et  confirmare,  Polonosque  solari  non  desine- 
bat.  Et  quoniam  ubique  religiosae  res  affligebantur, 
omnem  adhibuit  diligentiam  ut  cum  compluribus  popu- 
lorum  moderatoribus  conventiones  iniret,quibus  Eccle- 
siae  jura  et  libertas  custodirentur.  Errores,  tot  malo- 
rum  causam,  ac  nominatim  massonz'svu'  machinamenta 
operire,  refellere,  damnare  nunquam  destitit  per  en- 
cyclicas  litteras,  allocutiones,  publicos  sermones,  epis- 
tolas  ad  Episcopos  vel  privatos  homines  ;  et  insignem 
ilium  edidit  syllabum,  qui  perpetuus  erit  errorum  om- 
nium malleus  ;  ac  demum  oecumenicum  Concilium  in- 
dixit  et  coegit,  quo  perspicue  proposita  confirmataque 
vera  doctrina  de  Deo,  de  Ecclesia,  deque  Summi  Pon- 
tificis  auctoritate  et  infallibilitate,  via  cuicumque 
praecludatur  sophismati.  Dum  ita  Satanae  regnum 
subruere  nisus  est,  pari  zelo  Christi  regnum  dilatare, 
Catholicorum  fidem  ac  pietatem  incendere  novaque  iis 
auxilia  coelestia  comparare  curavit,  Ecclesiasticam 
Hierarchiam  in  Anglia  et  Hollandia  instauravit,  et  de 
Scotica  restituenda  agebat,  cum  morte  occupatus  fuit. 
Missiones  ad  extremosterrae  fines  provexit;  permultas 
approbavit  novas  religiosasfamilias  peculiaribuspopuli 
m'cessitatibus  addictas  ;  impense  fovit  catholicas  con- 
sociationes  in  Ecclesiae  subsidium  et  proximorum  utili- 
tatern  institutas  ;  Ecclesiam  universam  Smo.  Cordi  Jesu 


Appendix.  475 

arctius  obstrinxit  ;  Patronum  ei  dedit  S.  Joscphum  ;  e 
christianis  heroibus,  quorum  gesta  incitamento  esse 
posse  patebat  et  patrocinium  auxilio,  undecim  Beato- 
rum  et  quinquaginta  duos  albo  Sanctorum  adscripsit; 
auxit  demum  fiduciam  et  cultum  in  Deiparam  per defi- 
nitionem  dogmaticam  Immaculati  Eius  conceptus : 
quibus  studiis  sic  amplificavit  Ecclesiam,  ut  novem  et 
viginti  metropoliticas  Sedes  priscis  addere  debuerit, 
Episcopales  centum  et  triginta  duas,  tres  Nullius  dioe- 
cesis,  tres  Apostolicas  Delegationes,  tres  et  triginta 
Vicariatus  Apostolicos  et  quindecim  Apostolicas  Prae- 
fecturas.  Ouamquam  sub  hostili  potestate  consti- 
tutus  strenuc  semper  propugnavit  Ecclesiae  jura  et 
Sanctae  Sedis,  Apostolica  libertate  sacrilegum  usurpa- 
tions facinus  gravissime  potentibus  cxprobravit,  cen- 
surasque  in  eos  latas  indixit  et  renovavit.  Divini 
cultus  splendori  prospexit,  refectis,  expolitis,  ornatis 
regio  sumptu  templis,  aut  collata  ad  boc  domi  forisque 
pecunia  et  sacris  ornamentis.  In  solidae  scientiae  pro- 
vectum  rationem  sludiorum  proposuit,  catbolicas  uni- 
versitates  instauravit,  seminaria,  gymnasia,  scholas 
evexit ;  ubique  demum  munificentiae  suae  monumenta 
reliquit ;  eaque  fuit  liberalitate,  ut  quidquid  ei  obve- 
niebat  non  sibi  sed  aliis  habere  videretur.  Quibus 
omnibus  virtutibus  cum  accederent  benignitas  et  faciii- 
tas  vere  singularis,  sic  advenientium  animos  alliciebat, 
ut  observantiam  et  devotionem  Jesu  Christi  Vicario 
debitam  ad  flagrantem  erigeret  amorem.  Id  publicae 
significationes    ostenderunt,    id    crebra    peregrinorum 


476  Appendix. 

agmina,  id  praesertim  jubilares  anni  presbyteratus, 
episcopatus,  Pontificatus  ejus,  qui  insueta  prorsus  ob- 
tuleriint  indicia  filialis  pietatis  ac  incensissimi  amoris 
totius  orbis  catholici.  Unus  ipse  inter  Pontifices  sedit 
in  Petri  catbedra  annos  unum  et  triginta,  menses  sep- 
tem,  dies  duos  supra  viginti  :  obiit  sextum  etoctogesi- 
mum  agens  aetatis  annum  die  septima  Februari  anni 
1878. 


ENGLISH   TRANSLATION. 

Here  lies  the  body  of  Pius  IX.,  Sovereign  Pontiff. 
He  was  born  on  the  13th  of  May,  1792,  at  Sinigaglia, 
and  was  the  fourth  son  born  of  the  marriage  of  Count 
Girolamo  Mastai-Ferretti  and  the  Countess  Caterina 
Solazzi.  In  baptism  he  received  the  name  of  Gio- 
vanni Maria.  He  was  taught  at  first  by  the  Fathers  of 
the  Scuole  Pie  in  Volterra,  and  afterwards  entered  on 
more  advanced  studies  at  Rome.  Promoted  to  the 
priesthood  in  the  year  1819,  he  celebrated  his  first 
Mass  on  Easter  Sunday  in  the  church  of  St.  Ann,  in 
the  orphan  hospital  called,  after  its  founder,  Tata-Gio- 
vanni, of  which  institution  he  was  director.  After- 
wards he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Bishop  Giovanni 
Muzi;  Delegate  and  Vicar-Apostolic  to  Chili  and  other 
countries  of  South  America,  and  in  this  capacity  left 
Rome  in  1S23.     On  his  return,  in  the  year  1825,  he  was 


Appendix.  477 

placed  over  the  apostolic  hospice  by  Leo  XII.  of  holy 
memory,  and  two  years  later  was  preconized  and  con- 
secrated Archbishop  of  Spoleto.  There  he  showed 
himself  to  be  endowed  with  all  the  best  qualities  of  a 
bishop,  especially  charity  and  prudence,  of  which  he 
gave  brilliant  proofs  in  the  year  1831,  when,  invested 
with  an  extraordinary  mission  to  Spoleto  and  Perugia, 
by  kindness  and  liberality  he  induced  the  insurgents 
to  cease  their  rebellion  and  surrender  their  arms, 
which  he  sent  to  Rome.  Also  in  the  year  following 
he  gave  up  himself  wholly  to  the  relief  and  consolation 
of  the  people  grievously  afflicted  by  the  fearful  earth- 
quake in  Umbria.  His  great  merits  induced  Gregory 
XVI.  to  translate  him  to  the  See  of  Imola,  then  vacant, 
where  he  proved  himself  equal  to  the  great  charge  en- 
trusted to  him.  He  was  the  first  of  the  Italian  bishops 
to  establish  canonically  in  his  diocese  the  pious  work 
of  the  propagation  of  the  faith.  Among  other  exam- 
ples of  episcopal  fortitude  and  charity  he  gave  a  re- 
markable instance  in  the  year  1846,  when  one  evening, 
praying  alone  in  his  cathedral,  he  saved  the  life  of  a 
man  attacked  by  three  brigands. 

The  same  Pontiff  decorated  him  with  the  purple  in 
the  consistory  of  December  14,  1840,  having  already 
reserved  him  in  fctto  on  the  23d  of  December  of  the 
preceding  )'ear. 

When  he  received  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of 
Gregory  XVI.  he  at  once  proceeded  to  Rome  fo  take 
part  in  the  election  of  a  new  Pontiff.     There  with  won- 


4  7  8  Appendix. 

derful  celerity,  by  the  votes  of  the  Sacred  College,  he 
was  elevated  to  the  Chair  of  Peter.     The  joy  felt  by  all 
at  the  news  of  so  unexpected  an  event  was  turned  into 
mourning  by  the  enemies  of  religion  and  public  order, 
who,   exciting  a  rebellion,  so   beset  the   Pontiff  that 
with  great  difficulty  and  only  by  peculiar  divine  assis- 
tance did  he  escape  from  their  hands  and  seek  a  refuge 
in    Gaeta.     There,    most    kindly    and    reverently  wel- 
comed by  the  king  of  Naples,  he  received  testimonies 
of  veneration  and  devotion  from  the  whole  Catholic 
world.     In  this  exile  he  turned  his  mind  to  the  evils 
which  threatened  religion,  to  the  outraged  rights  of 
the  Holy  See,  to  the  nations  deceived  by  the  arts  of  the 
wily,  and  in  his  allocutions  and  apostolic   letters  he 
testified  his  own  gratitude  and  exposed  to  the  faithful 
the  deplorable  state  of  religious  affairs,  implored  the 
succor  of  the  Catholic  princes,  and  laid  plainly  before 
the  people  the  real  nature  of  the  plans  designed  by  the 
foes  of  the  church.      Besides  that,   he  set  about  re- 
establishing in   England  the   ecclesiastical  hierarchy, 
which  had  for  a  long  time  been  destroyed  ;  and  on  ac- 
count of  his  wondrous  piety  toward  the  Mother  of 
God    he   announced   to   the    episcopate   that   he   had 
ordered  researches  to  be  made  for  the  purpose  of  defin- 
ing her  Immaculate  Conception,  and  he  asked  them 
all  to  pray  for  that  object  with  him,  and  to  inform  him 
of  the   traditions  which  obtained   in   their  respective 
countries. 

Brought  back  to   Rome   by  Christian  arms,  amidst 


Appendix.  479 

the  acclamations  of  the  city  and  of  the  whole  world, 
he  evinced  no  less  care  for  the  Eastern  Church  than 
for  the  Western.  As  in  1847  he  had  already  re-estab- 
lished the  jurisdiction  of  the  Latin  Patriarch  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  following  year  had  confirmed  the  elec- 
tion of  a  Patriarch  of  Babylon  for  the  Chaldeans,  so  he 
set  himself  with  an  indefatigable  zeal  to  protect, 
strengthen,  and  unite  the  Eastern  churches,  torn  by 
schisms,  disputes,  and  dissensions,  by  forming  new 
rules  for  their  conduct,  by  increasing  the  number  of 
bishops,  by  aiding  them  in  all  manner  of  ways  through 
his  liberality,  and  in  sending  them  even  an  apostolic 
delegate  and  a  legate  a  latere. 

He  left  nothing  undone  in  his  efforts  to  stay  the 
persecution  of  the  Catholic  religion  in  Russia,  or  at 
least  to  mitigate  it  either  by  the  conventions  which  he 
proposed,  by  appeals  to  the  ministers  of  that  empire, 
by  public  demands,  by  special  letters  to  the  emperor, 
or  by  sending  delegates  to  him  ;  while  during  all  this 
time  he  never  ceased  to  defend  and  support  the  Ruthe- 
nians  and  to  console  the  Poles.  And  as  everywhere 
religious  affairs  were  in  dire  distress,  he  used  every 
diligence  in  stipulating  with  the  greater  part  of  the 
rulers  of  nations  for  conventions  by  which  the  rights 
and  liberty  of  the  church  might  be  protected. 

He  never  ceased  from  exposing,  refuting,  and  con- 
demning in  encyclical  letters,  allocutions,  public  dis- 
courses, letters  to  bishops  or  private  persons,  the 
errors  which  are  the  cause  of  so  much  evil,  and  nota- 


4S0  Appendix. 

bly  the  machinations  of  the  Freemasons.  He  pub- 
lished the  celebrated  Syllabus,  which  will  remain  for 
ever  to  crush  all  errors  ;  and,  finally,  he  convoked  and 
assembled  the  (Ecumenical  Council,  so  that  by  clearly 
setting  forth  and  confirming  the  true  doctrine  as  to 
God,  the  church,  and  the  authority  and  infallibility  of 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff,  no  place  could  be  left  for  the 
prevalence  of  any  heretical  sophism. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged  in  the  struggle  against 
the  kingdom  of  Satan,  he  applied  himself  with  the 
same  zeal  to  spread  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  to  enliven 
the  faith  and  piety  of  Catholics,  and  to  furnish  them 
with  new  celestial  help.  He  re-established  the  eccle- 
siastical hierarchy  in  England  and  Holland,  and  he  was 
considering  its  re-establishment  in  Scotland  when  he 
was  taken  away  by  death.  He  sent  missions  to  the 
extremities  of  the  earth  ;  he  approved  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  large  number  of  new  religious  orders 
suited  to  the  peculiar  necessities  of  the  people  ;  he 
particularly  protected  the  Catholic  associations  insti- 
tuted for  the  defence  of  the  Church  and  the  needs  of 
our  neighbor;  he  bound  the  universal  Church  more 
closely  to  the  most  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  by  a  solemn 
consecration,  and  gave  to  her  St.  Joseph  as  a  patron. 
Among  the  Christian  heroes  whose  acts  are  our  en- 
couragement and  whose  intercession  is  our  aid  he  in- 
scribed eleven  on  the  roll  of  the  blessed,  and  fifty-two 
he  added  to  the  list  of  the  saints,  and  finally  he  in- 
creased the  confidence  of  the  faithful  in  the  Mother  of 


Appendix.  48 1 

God,  and  added  to  their  devotion  to  her  hy  the  dogma- 
tic definition  of  her  Immaculate  Conception. 

By  his  labors  the  church  was  so  enlarged  that 
twenty-nine  new  metropolitan  sees  were  erected,  and 
to  those  before  existing  one  hundred  and  thirty  Epis- 
copal Sees  were  added,  as  also  three  Nullius  dz'oecest's, 
thirty-three  Apostolic  Vicariates,  three  Apostolic  De- 
legations, and  fifteen  Apostolic  Prefectures 

Although  placed  under  the  power  of  the  enemies  of 
religion,  he  has  always  vigorously  defended  the  rights 
of  the  church  ;  with  an  apostolic  liberty  he  reproved 
the  powerful  for  their  sacrilegious  usurpation,  and  pro- 
claimed and  renewed  the  censures  which  he  pronounced 
against  them.  lie  watched  over  the  splendor  of  divine 
worship,  and  rebuilt,  repaired,  and  ornamented  the 
temples  with  a  royal  luxury,  or  furnished  the  money 
and  the  sacred  ornaments  for  that  purpose  both  at 
home  and  abroad.  He  proposed  a  new  Ratio  Studiorum 
for  the  advancement  of  true  science,  established  Ca- 
tholic universities,  founded  colleges,  seminaries,  and 
schools;  he  left  everywhere  monuments  of  his  muni- 
ficence, and  so  great  was  his  liberality  that  all  that 
was  offered  to  him  seemed  to  be  accepted  not  for  him- 
self but  for  others. 

As  he  combined  with  all  those  virtues  a  really  re- 
markable gentleness  and  affability,  he  charmed  the 
minds  of  all  those  who  approached  him  in  a  manner 
that  increased  the  respect  and  devotion  due  to  the 
Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ  until  developed  into  the  most 


482  Appendix. 

ardent  love.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  addresses,  fre- 
quent assemblages  of  pilgrims,  and  especially  the  cele- 
brations in  the  jubilee  years  of  his  priesthood,  his  epis- 
copate, and  his  pontificate,  which  exhibited  altogether 
unusual  marks  of  the  filial  piety  and  warm  affection  of 
the  entire  Catholic  universe. 

Alone  among  the  Popes  he  sat  in  the  chair  of  St. 
Peter  thirty-one  years,  seven  months,  twenty-two 
days.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  on  the 
7th  of  February,  of  the  year  1878. 


VIII. 

ALLOCUTION  OF  HIS  HOLINESS  PIUS  IX., 

ADDRESSED  TO  THE  SACRED  COLLEGE,  MARCH  12,  /S77.* 

Venerable  Brethren:  During  the  sorrowful  times 
of  our  pontificate  we  have  on  many  occasions  con- 
vened your  most  august  order  in  this  palace  with  the 
intent  of  bewailing,  in  concert  with  you,  the  grievous 
ills  with  which  the  church  is  undeservedly  afflicted, 
and  to  utter  our  protests  against  the  crimes  committed 
both  in  Italy  and  in  other  countries  to  the  detriment 
of  the  church  and  of  the  Apostolic  See.  But  of  late 
years  we  have  had  to  witness  the  fresh  and  ever  more 
violent  attacks  which  the  church  of  God  in  various 
parts  of  the  Catholic  world  has  to  endure  from  her 
bitter  enemies,  who  have  deemed  the  calamitous  state 
of  our  affairs,  and  the  isolation  from  all  human  aid  in 
which  we  are  placed,  their  best  opportunity  for  assail- 
ing the  Spouse  of  Jesus  Christ.  Venerable  brethren, 
we  could  have  wished  on  the  present  occasion  to  place 
before  your  minds  and  thoughts  a  detailed  statement 
of  this  dreadful  and  wide-spread  persecution  now 
raging  against  the  church  in  many  of  the  countries  of 
Europe  ;  but  intending  as  we  do  at  a  future  opportunity 

*  Translation  of  the  London  Tablet. 
483 


484  Appendix. 

to  lay  this  painful  description  before  you,  we  cannot 
meanwhile  refrain  from  calling  your  attention  to  the 
distresses  and  vexations  of  the  church  in  this  Italy, 
becoming  daily  more  severe,  and  from  explaining  to 
you  the  dangers,  every  day  growing  greater,  which  we 
see  impending  over  us  and  over  this  Apostolic  See. 

It  is  now  the  seventh  year  since  the  invaders  of  our 
civil  principality,  trampling  under  foot  all  laws  divine 
and  human,  violating  the  faith  of  solemn  treaties,  and 
deeming  the  calamities  of  an  illustrious  Catholic 
nation  their  own  opportunity,  seized  by  force  and 
arms  those  provinces  which  still  remained  under  our 
dominion,  took  by  storm  this  holy  city,  and  filled  the 
universal  church  with  grief  and  sorrow  and  pain  at  a 
deed  of  such  great  wickedness.  The  false  and  hypo- 
critical professions  and  promises  which,  during  those 
dreadful  days,  they  made  to  foreign  governments 
about  our  affairs,  declaring  themselves  willing  to 
render  honor  and  obedience  to  the  liberty  of  the 
church,  and  that  they  wished  the  power  of  the  Roman 
Pontiff  to  be  full  and  unfettered,  could  not  delude  us 
with  groundless  expectations,  nor  prevent  our  tho- 
roughly comprehending  all  the  sorrows  and  miseries 
that  awaited  us  under  their  domination.  No  ;  we  were 
fully  aware  of  the  impious  counsels  that,  characterize 
men  banded  together  in  the  guilty  league  of  revolu- 
tionary purposes,  and  we  publicly  declared  the  ten- 
dency of  that  sacrilegious  invasion  to  be  not  only  to 
the  overthrow  of  our  civil   principality,  but  also  and 


Appendix,  485 

much  more,  our  temporal  dominion  being  overthrown, 
to  the  easier  destruction  of  all  the  church's  institu- 
tions, to  the  downfall  of  the  authority  of  the  Holy 
See,  and  to  the  pulling  down  of  that  power  which,  as 
Christ's  Vicar,  we,  though  undeserving,  hold  on  earth. 
But  now  this  work  of  demolition  and  pulling  down 
of  all  things  belonging  to  the  ecclesiastical  edifice  and 
order  may  be  said  to  be  complete,  if  not  to  the  extent 
of  the  persecutors'  intent  and  malice,  yet  to  the  extent 
of  most  terrible  ruin  which  the}''  have  gone  on  adding 
to  even  to  this  day  ;  and  a  single  glance  at  the  laws 
and  decrees  enacted  and  issued  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  new  domination  even  to  the  present  time 
is  sufficient  to  show  us  that  singly  and  gradually  are 
taken  away  day  by  day  one  after  another  of  the  means 
and  securities  of  which  we  stand  in  absolute  need  in 
order  duly  to  rule  and  govern  the  Catholic  Church. 
Thus,  for  example,  the  wickedness  which  has  been 
perpetrated  in  the  suppression  of  the  religious  orders 
has  injuriously  despoiled  us  of  efficient  and  useful 
helpers  whose  assistance  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
us  in  the  transaction  of  the  business  of  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal congregations  and  in  the  discharge  of  many  de- 
partments of  our  ministry.  At  the  same  time  that 
suppression  has  destroyed  here  in  our  city  many 
homes  in  which  religious  men  from  foreign  nations 
found  hospitality,  who  at  stated  times  were  accus- 
tomed to  resort  to  this  metropolis  to  strengthen  their 
souls,  to  give  an  account  of  their  ministry.     The  same 


486  Appendix. 

suppression  has  also  cruelly  torn  up  by  the  roots 
many  useful  and  prolific  plants  which  carried  into  all 
regions  of  the  earth  the  fruits  of  benediction  and 
peace.  And  the  same  unjust  suppression  that  has 
struck  the  missionary  colleges  established  in  Rome 
for  training  fit  and  proper  missionaries  zealously  to 
carry  the  light  of  the  Gospel  into  distant  and  un- 
civilized lands,  has  miserably  deprived  many  peoples 
of  the  saving  aid  of  piety  and  charity,  and  has  tended 
to  the  great  injury  even  of  that  worldly  civilization 
which  results  from  the  holy  teaching  and  example 
of  Christianity.  And  these  enactments,  cruel  as  they 
are  in  themselves,  and  opposed  to  the  interests  not 
only  of  religion  but  even  of  human  society,  are  greatly 
aggravated  by  the  late  regulations  of  the  government, 
by  which  all  associations  in  convents,  of  women, 
members  of  religious  communities,  and  all  fresh  ad- 
missions for  regulars  of  either  sex  are  prohibited  under 
severe  penalties.  Having  forcibly  scattered  the  reli- 
gious orders,  their  efforts  and  designs  are  now  di- 
rected to  the  destruction  of  the  secular  clergy,  and  a 
fatal  law  has  been  enacted  by  which  we  and  the  pas- 
tors of  the  people  of  Italy  behold  to  our  great  sorrow 
the  young  clerics,  the  hope  of  the  church,  wickedly 
torn  from  the  sanctuary,  and,  when  arrived  at  the  age 
at  which  they  are  solemnly  to  dedicate  themselves  to 
God,  compelled  to  put  on  the  military  uniform  and 
betake  themselves  to  the  kind  of  life  most  abhorrent 
to  the   practice  and  spirit  of  their  vocation.     Nor  is 


Appendix.  487 

this  all.  Other  unjust  laws  have  since  been  passed, 
by  which  the  universal  patrimony  which  the  church 
has  possessed,  by  sacred,  immemorial,  and  inviolable 
titles,  has  been  in  great  part  taken  from  her,  small 
stipends  being  substituted,  locally  and  partially  only, 
and  those  completely  dependent  on  the  changing 
vicissitudes  of  the  times,  and  on  the  will  and  pleasure 
of  the  government.  We  have  also  to  deplore  the  fact 
that  buildings  in  great  number,  erected  at  very  great 
expense  by  the  piety  of  the  faithful,  and  worthy  of  the 
Christian  times  of  Rome,  and  which  afforded  a  peace- 
ful abode  to  virgins  dedicated  to  God  or  to  religious 
communities,  have  been  seized  and,  their  rightful 
owners  being  without  exception  dispossessed,  con- 
verted to  profane  uses.  Moreover,  many  pious  works 
and  institutions,  consecrated  to  the  practice  of  charity 
and  beneficence — some  of  them,  with  admirable  muni- 
ficence for  the  relief  of  poverty  and  other  distresses, 
founded  by  the  Roman  Pontiffs  our  predecessors,  and 
others  by  the  pious  liberality  of  foreign  nations — 
have  been  withdrawn  from  our  control  and  from  the 
administration  of  the  sacred  ministers  ;  and,  if  any  of 
those  works  of  public  charity  still  remain  under  the 
superintendence  of  the  church,  it  is  reported  that 
a  law  is  about,  at  no  distant  date,  to  be  brought  in  by 
which  they  are  either  to  be  taken  from  us  or  totally 
abolished;  as  is  plainly  and  barefacedly  announced  in 
public  documents.  Moreover,  we  have  seen,  and  as 
we  state  it  our  soul  is  pierced  with  extreme  grief,  the 


488  Appendix. 

public  and  private  teaching  of  the  arts  and  sciences 
withdrawn  from  the  authority  and  guidance  of  the 
church,  and  the  duty  of  teaching  entrusted  to  men  of 
suspected  faith,  or  openly  hostile  to  the  church,  and 
who  have  not  scrupled  to  make  public  profession 
of  atheistic  impiety. 

But  the  recreant  sons  of  the  church  have  not  been 
satisfied  with  thus  seizing  upon  and  ruining  so  many 
important  religious  institutions:  they  must  also  place 
impediments  in  the  way  of  the  ministers  of  the  sanctu- 
ary to  hinder  them  in  the  free  discharge  of  their  duty  ; 
and  they  have  gone  so  far  in  this  wicked  project  as  to 
propose  a  law  which  has  been  passed  by  the  legislative 
chamber  of  orators,  and  which  is  entitled  the  "  Law  of 
Clerical  Abuses,"  by  virtue  of  which  law  are  made 
criminal  and  liable  to  heavy  penalties  the  acts  of  bi- 
shops and  also  of  priests  which  the  authors  of  the  said 
law  include  under  the  insidious  phrase  of  disturbing 
what  they  call  the  public  conscience  and  the  peace  of 
families.  For  example,  the  law  in  question  enacts  that 
all  words  and  writings  of  every  kind  by  which  the 
ministers  of  religion  shall,  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duty,  think  it  right  to  characterize  or  denounce  any 
decree,  regulation,  or  other  act  of  the  government  as 
opposed  to  the  sacred  rights  involved  or  to  the  laws 
of  God  or  the  church,  shall  be  liable  to  prosecution 
and  to  penalties,  as  shall  also  the  action  of  the  publish- 
ers or  disseminators  of  such  words  or  writings,  from 
whatever  rank  or   station  of  ecclesiastical  authority 


Appendix.  4S9 

they  may  have  emanated.  When  this  law  shall  have 
been  passed  and  promulgated,  it  will  be  competent  to 
the  lay  tribunal  to  judge  whether  and  in  what  manner 
a  priest,  in  administering  the  sacraments  or  in  preach- 
ing the  Word  of  God,  shall  have  disturbed  the  public 
conscience  or  the  peace  of  families  ;  and  the  voice  of  the 
bishop  or  of  the  priest  will  be  able  to  be  restrained  or 
silenced  altogether,  nay,  even  the  voice  of.  the  Vicar 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who,  although  he  is  said  for  political 
reasons  to  be  in  himself  liable  to  no  man's  censure, 
yet  is  adjudged  to  be  punishable  in  the  person  of  the 
accomplices  in  his  offence — as  a  member  of  the  govern- 
ment in  his  place  in  the  legislative  chamber  did  not 
scruple  to  declare  plainly  in  reference  to  us  that  it  was 
no  innovation  or  unusual  thing  in  legislation,  and  per- 
fectly agreeable  to  the  principles  and  practice  of  crimi- 
nal jurisprudence,  that  the  accessories  to  an  offence 
should  be  made  amenable  to  punishment  when  the 
principal  offender  himself  could  not  be  so  made.  From 
which  it  is  understood  that,  in  the  intention  of  those 
in  power,  this  law  is  a  hostile  weapon  aimed  even  at 
us,  so  that,  whenever  our  words  or  acts  may  happen  to 
offend  against  it,  the  bishops  or  priests  who  shall  pub- 
lish our  words  or  execute  our  commands  may  undergo 
the  penalties  of  that  pretended  crime,  of  which  we  as 
principal  shall  be  adjudged  to  be  chargeable  with  the 
legal  responsibility. 

Behold,  then,  venerable  brethren,  how  not  only  so 
many  defences  and  so  many  institutions,  the  growth 


490  Appendix. 

of  ages,  and  the  survival  of  so  many  convulsions,  and 
so  necessary  to  the  administration  of  the  church,  have 
been  overthrown  amongst  us  by  hostile  violence  and 
demolition;  but  things  have  come  to  that  pass  that 
the  sublime  office  of  teaching  and  of  watching  over 
and  of  providing  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  conferred 
on  the  church  by  her  Divine  Founder,  is  wickedly  in- 
terrupted, and  the  severest  penalties  enacted  to  silence 
the  voice  of  her  ministers,  who,  when  they  teach  the 
people  to  observe  all  those  things  that  Christ  com- 
manded, when  they  are  instant  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  when  they  reprove,  entreat,  rebuke  in  all  pa- 
tience and  doctrine,  do  the  thing  which  is  commanded 
them  by  divine  and  by  apostolic  authority.  We  pass 
over  in  silence  the  other  dark  machinations  of  the  op- 
ponents of  the  church,  to  which,  as  we  well  know,  are 
not  wanting  the  counsels  and  instigations  of  some  of 
the  ministers  of  state,  and  the  object  of  which  is  to 
bring  days  of  even  greater  tribulation  on  the  church, 
or  else  to  produce  occasions  of  schism  when  the  elec- 
tion of  a  future  pontiff  shall  take  place,  or  to  obstruct 
the  exercise  of  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  bishops 
set  over  the  church  in  Italy,  on  which  account  we 
have  recently  been  compelled  to  declare  it  allowable 
that  the  acts  of  canonical  institution  of  the  said  bishops 
be  exhibited  to  the  secular  authority,  in  order  to  obvi- 
ate, so  far  as  is  in  our  power,  a  most  fatal  conjunc- 
ture of  affairs  in  which  it  was  no  longer  the  possession 
of  the  temporalities  that  was  at  stake,  but  the  con- 


Appendix.  49 1 

sciences  of  the  faithful,  the  peace  of  those  consciences, 
and  the  cure  and  salvation  of  souls,  which  is  the  su- 
preme law  to  us,  were  put  to  hazard.  But  in  all  that 
we  have  done  to  ward  off  the  worst  dangers,  we  would 
have  it  once  more  publicly  recognized  that  we  do  alto- 
gether condemn  and  reprobate  the  unjust  law  called 
the  Regium  placitum;  and  we  plainly  declare  that  it  is 
injurious  to  the  divine  authority  of  the  church  and  a 
violation  of  her  liberty. 

And  now,  having  so  far  exposed  these  things,  omit- 
ting many  others  which  we  might  lengthen  our  allo- 
cution to  deplore,  we  put  the  question,  How  is  it  pos- 
sible for  us  to  govern  the  church  under  the  domina- 
tion of  a  power  which  continually  takes  away  from  us 
every  means  and  protection  needed  for  the  exercise  of 
our  apostleship,  which  obstructs  every  path,  and  daily 
casts  in  our  way  new  hindrances  and  new  difficulties, 
and  ever  lays  new  snares  and  ambuscades  ?  Truly  we 
cannot  enough  wonder  that  men  should  be  found  in 
whom  we  know  not  whether  levity  or  malice  predomi- 
nates, and  who,  either  in  the  public  journals  or  in  spe- 
cial writings,  or  in  unblushing  speeches  delivered  at 
many  public  meetings,  endeavor  to  make  it  believed 
and  to  persuade  the  people  that  the  present  position 
of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  in  Rome  is  such  that,  even 
placed  as  he  is  under  the  domination  of  another  power, 
he  enjoys  full  liberty,  and  is  able  peacefully  and  fully 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  spiritual  primacy. 
They  lose   no  opportunity  of  publicly  asserting  that 


49 2  Appendix. 

opinion,  whether  it  be  when  bishops  and  faithful  come 
from   foreign  countries   to  visit  us,  or  when  we  admit 
to  our  presence  the  pious  assemblies  of  the  faithful,  or 
when  we,  in  our  addresses  to  those  assemblies,  lament 
the  impious  aggressions  on  the  church  ;  yea,  they  of 
set  purpose  and  craftily  endeavor  to  impress  the  unre- 
flecting with  the  belief  that  we  do  in  reality  enjoy  full 
power  and  liberty  both  of  speech  and  of  receiving  the 
faithful   and   of  administering  the    universal    church. 
AVonderful  it  is  to  us  that  they  can  unblushingly  as- 
sert this,  as  if  the  performance  of  those  alleged  acts 
were  fully  and  entirely  in  our  power,  and  as  if  in  them 
were  comprised  the  whole  government  of  the  church 
belonging  to  our  office.     For  who  can  be  ignorant  that 
the  liberty  of  action  which  they  so  loudly  assert  is  de- 
pendent, not  on  us,  but  on  the  will  and  pleasure  of  the 
rulers,  so  that  we  are  only  able  to   do  those   acts  to 
such   extent  and   so  long  as  it   is    not   prevented  by 
them?     And  how  completely  our  freedom  of  action  is 
dependent  on  their  will  and   pleasure  is   shown    and 
proved,  were  all   other  proofs  wanting,  by  that  most 
recent  law  which  we  have  just  deplored,  by  which  the 
free  exercise  of  our  spiritual  power  and  of  the  admin- 
istration of  the  ecclesiastical    order   is   subjected    to 
fresh,  constraint  and  intolerable  oppression.     If  they 
have  left  us  the  power  to  perform  some  acts  because 
they  know  how  important  it  is  for  them  that  we  should 
be  believed  to  be  free  under  their  domination,  yet  how 
many  most  weight}',  most  necessary  and  most  essen- 


Appendix.  493 

tial  things  are  there  connected  with  the  formidable 
burden  of  our  ministry,  for  the  real  and  due  perform- 
ance of  which  we,  while  subjected  to  their  domination, 
are  without  all  necessary  means  and  liberty  !  We  in- 
deed could  wish  that  those  who  write  or  speak  the 
tilings  we  have  referred  to  would  but  glance  at  the 
things  that  are  happening  around  us,  and,  freeing  their 
minds  for  a  moment  from  the  prejudices  of  party, 
would  judge  whether  it  can  be  truly  said  that  the 
power  of  ruling  the  church  divinely  committed  to  us 
can  be  compatible  with  the  state  to  which  the  rule  of 
the  invaders  has  reduced  us.  We  could  wish  them  to 
recognize  the  insults,  the  abuse,  the  contumelies  that 
even  in  the  deliberative  chamber  of  the  people  are 
poured  forth  against  our  humility — insults  respecting 
which  we  indeed  forgive  the  wretched  men  who  offer 
them,  but  which  constitute  a  very  great  offence  to  the 
faithful,  whose  common  father  is  outraged,  and  which 
tend  to  diminish  the  respect,  authority,  and  veneration 
due  to  the  office  of  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  which  we, 
though  unworthy,  sustain.  We  could  wish  them  to  be 
witnesses  of  the  reproaches  and  calumnies  with  which 
both  vour  most  august  order  and  the  sacred  authorities 
of  the  church  are  in  every  way  assailed,  to  the  great 
injury  of  their  administration  ;  to  be  witnesses  of  the 
mockery  and  ridicule  with  which  the  august  rites  and 
institutions  of  the  Catholic  Church  are  dishonored, 
of  the  insolence  with  which  the  holiest  mysteries  of 
religion  are    profaned ;    that   they  could    behold    the 


494  Appendix. 

impious  and  atheists  decorated  with  the  tokens  and 
trappings  of  public  honor;  while  on  the  other  hand 
those  religious  supplications  and  processions  which 
the  ancestral  piety  of  the  people  of  Italy  has  always 
been  accustomed  at  solemn  seasons  freely  to  cele- 
brate, are  forbidden.  We  could  also  wish  that  they 
knew  the  blasphemies  which,  unpunished,  winked  at 
by  the  government,  are  hurled  against  the  church  in 
the  legislative  convention  in  which  the  accusation  of 
subversiveness  and  aggressiveness  is  brought  against 
the  church  herself,  and  her  liberty  is  called  a  wicked 
and  fatal  principle  ;  and  her  doctrines  are  character- 
ized as  erroneous  and  as  opposed  to  the  well-being 
and  morals  of  society;  and  her  power  and  authority 
denounced  as  pernicious  to  the  social  bond.  Nor  can 
the  vaunters  of  our  pretended  liberty  deny  the  mani- 
fold and  incessant  occasions  prepared  for  the  express 
purpose  of  corrupting  thoughtless  youth  by  in- 
flaming their  animal  passions  and  of  utterly  eradi- 
cating the  Catholic  faith  from  their  minds.  If  those 
persons  would  only  traverse  the  streets  of  this  city, 
which,  by  reason  of  its  being  the  See  of  Blessed  Peter 
is  also  the  seat  and  capital  of  religion,  they  could  very 
well  judge  whether  or  no  the  temples  of  non-Catholic 
worship  in  these  days  erected,  the  schools  of  cor- 
ruption spread  in  every  direction,  the  many  houses 
of  perdition  everywhere  established,  obscene  and 
filthy  sights  presented  to  the  popular  gaze — whether 
all  these  things  together  constitute  a  situation  that 


Appendix.  495 

can  be  supportable  to  him  who,  by  virtue  of  his 
apostolic  office,  is  in  duty  bound  and  earnestly  desires 
to  obviate  these  many  evils,  but  on  the  contrary  is 
deprived  of  all  means  and  resources  and  of  all  exer- 
cise of  power  by  which  he  could  apply  the  needful 
remedies  to  even  one  of  so  many  evils,  and  rescue 
souls  rushing  to  destruction.  Such,  then,  venerable 
brethren,  is  the  state  to  which  we  are  compelled  to 
submit  by  the  act  of  the  government  dominant  in  this 
city.  Such  is  the  liberty  and  faculty  of  exercising  our 
ministry  of  which  they  abuse  the  name,  and  which, 
as  they  unblushingly  assert,  we  enjoy  the  liberty, 
forsooth,  of  witnessing  the  demolition,  daily  growing 
worse,  of  the  order  and  constitution  of  ecclesiastical 
affairs  ;  of  beholding  the  destruction  of  souls,  while 
we  can  do  nothing  effectual  on  our  part  and  under- 
take nothing  towards  the  reparation  of  so  many  mis- 
chiefs. These  things  being  so,  must  not  that  be 
considered  a  new  and  bitter  jest  and  mockery  which 
is  often  said,  that  we  ought  to  initiate  counsels  of 
conciliation  and  concord  with  the  new  rulers,  when 
the  principle  of  such  conciliation  could  on  our  part 
be  nothing  else  than  an  utter  betrayal  not  only  of  the 
fundamental  rights  of  this  Holy  See  which  we,  on  our 
elevation  to  this  supreme  chair,  received  to  guard 
and  to  keep  as  a  sacred  and  inviolable  deposit,  but 
also  a  betrayal  of  the  divine  ministry  committed  to  us 
for  the  salvation  of  souls — a  betrayal  of  Christ's  in- 
heritance into  the  hands  of  an  authority  such  that  its 


496  Appendix. 

whole  efforts  are  directed  to  annihilate,  if  that  were 
possible,  the  very  name  of  the  Catholic  religion  ? 
Now  assuredly  are  displayed  in  a  clear  light,  and  in 
every  point  of  view,  to  the  whole  world,  the  value,  the 
validity,  and  the  trustworthiness  of  those  concessions 
with  which,  as  in  mockery  of  the  faithful,  our  enemies 
ostentatiously  proclaimed  themselves  in  favor  of  the 
liberty  and  dignity  of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  which 
liberty  and  dignity  should  repose  as  on  a  foundation 
on  the  arbitrary  caprice  and  hostile  will  of  a  govern- 
ment possessing  the  power  to  adapt,  maintain,  in- 
terpret, and  give  effect  to  them  according  to  its  own 
designs  and  principles,  and  at  its  own  pleasure.  No, 
no  ;  certain  it  is  that  the  Roman  Pontiff  is  not  and 
will  not  be  in  possession  of  full  liberty  or  full  freedom 
of  action  so  long  as  he  is  the  subject  of  others  that 
rule  in  his  own  city.  Never  at  Rome  can  his  position 
be  other  than  that  of  sovereign  prince  or  of  a  captive  ; 
nor  can  the  peace,  security,  and  tranquillity  of  the 
Catholic  Church  ever  exist  so  long  as  the  exercise  of 
the  Supreme  Apostolic  Ministry  is  subjected  to  the 
conflicts  of  parties,  the  caprice  of  those  in  power,  to 
the  uncertainties  of  political  elections,  or  to  the 
schemes  and  proceedings  of  crafty  men,  who  place 
expediency  before  justice. 

But  do  not  suppose,  venerable  brethren,  that,  dis- 
tressed and  weighed  down  as  we  are  with  such  great 
evils,  we  lose  heart  or  that  our  confidence  fails  with 
which  we  await  the  decrees  of  the  Omnipotent  and 


.Appendix.  4  9  7 

Eternal.  When  we  formed  the  resolution  after  the 
seizure  of  our  dominion  at  Rome  of  remaining  there 
rather  than  seeking  a  tranquil  refuge  in  foreign  lands, 
with  the  intention  of  keeping  watch  at  the  tomb  of 
blessed  Peter  for  Catholicity,  we  never  ceased,  with 
the  help  of  God,  to  battle  for  the  defence  of  his  cause, 
and  still  daily  do  we  battle,  nowhere  giving  ground  to 
the  foe,  save  when  forcibly  driven  back,  in  order  to 
defend  the  few  things  that  still  remain  from  the 
violence  of  the  robbers  and  those  that  strive  to  per- 
vert all  things.  And  when  all  other  succors  have 
failed  us  by  which  we  could  defend  the  principles  of 
the  church  and  of  religion,  we  have  used  the  agency 
of  our  voice  and  our  expostulations,  of  which  fact  you 
are  witnesses  who  have  shared  a  common  danger  and 
a  common  grief  with  us.  Many  times  have  you 
listened  to  our  words  publicly  uttered,  when  we 
either  denounced  new  crimes  and  protested  against 
the  increasing  violence  of  the  enemy,  or  when,  with 
appropriate  warnings,  we  instructed  the  faithful  not 
to  be  led  astray  by  the  wiles  of  the  wicked  nor  the 
specious  pretences  of  religious  hypocrisy,  nor  by  the 
noxious  teaching  of  false  brethren.  O  that  they,  to 
whose  office  it  belongs  and  most  concerns  to  uphold 
our  authority  and  manfully  to  defend  the  cause,  than 
which  none  is  more  just  and  holy,  would  at  length 
lend  their  ears  and  apply  their  minds  to  our  utter- 
ances! For  how  can  they  fail,  wise  as  they  arc,  to 
perceive  that  it  is  vain  to  expect  solid  and   real   pros- 


49  8  Appendix. 

perity  in  nations,  peace  and  order  amongst  peoples, 
or  stability  of  power  for  those  that  sway  the  sceptre, 
if  the  church's  authority,  which  holds  together  all 
rightly  constituted  communities  in  the  bond  of  re- 
ligion, be  with  impunity  violated  and  set  at  naught, 
and  the  church's  supreme  head  be  debarred  from  the 
enjoyment  of  full  liberty  in  the  discharge  of  his  minis- 
try and  be  subjected  to  the  will  of  another  power. 

We  rejoice  indeed  at  one  happy  event,  namely,  that 
our  utterances  have  been  most  gladly  and  with  great- 
fruit  received  by  the  whole  Catholic  people  firmly 
united  to  us  in  the  bonds  of  filial  piety.  The  continual 
and  reiterated  testimonies  of  affection  which  we  re- 
ceive from  them  confer  the  highest  glory  both  on 
them  and  on  the  church,  and  bid  us  hope  for  more 
joyful  days  to  dawn  on  the  church  and  on  this  Apos- 
tolic See.  Truly  we  can  hardly  express  adequately 
the  delightful  consolation  which  we  receive,  although 
destitute  on  all  sides  of  effectual  aid,  when  we  behold 
the  noble  emotions  and  generous  affections  which, 
springing  up  spontaneously,  are  propagated  every  day 
more  widely  even  amongst  the  most  distant  nations  ; 
how  they  take  the  part  of  and  make  common  cause 
with  the  Roman  pontificate,  and  with  our  humility, 
and  defend  its  dignity.  The  liberal  subsidies  which 
reach  us  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  enable  us  to 
provide  for  the  pressing  necessities  of  this  holy  see, 
and  the  crowds  of  our  numerous  children  who  flock 
from  all  nations  to  this  Vatican  palace  to  testify  their 


Appendix.  499 

devoted  loyally  to  the  visible  head  of  the  church,  arc 
also  pledges  of  the  sentiments  of  the  faithful  for 
which  we  arc  quite  unable  to  return  sufficient  thanks 
to  the  Divine  goodness.  We  could  wish,  however,  all 
to  understand,  and  it  may  serve  as  a  salutary  proof  of 
the  essential  value  and  real  significance  of  those  pil- 
grimages which  we  see  so  often  repeated  at  the  present 
time,  when  the  most  furious  war  is  waged  against  the 
Roman  pontificate.  Assuredly  the  value  of  those  pil- 
grimages is  not  only  that  they  are  demonstrations  of 
love  and  obedience  on  the  part  of  the  faithful  towards 
our  humility,  but  they  also  afford  a  manifest  token  of 
the  solicitude  and  anxiety  that  agitate  their  hearts 
because  the  common  father  is  living  in  a  wholly  abnor- 
mal and  incongruous  condition.  Now  this  anxiety 
and  solicitude  will  not  be  allayed— nay,  will  and  ought 
to  go  on  increasing — until  possession  of  full  and  real 
liberty  be  restored  to  the  pastor  of  the  Universal 
Church. 

Meanwhile,  venerable  brethren,  wc  desire  nothing 
more  earnestly  than  that  our  words  may  penetrate 
beyond  these  walls  even  to  the  uttermost  ends  of  the 
earth,  in  order  that  our  most  grateful  feelings  may  be 
signified  to  the  faithful  of  the  whole  world  for  the 
noble  proofs  of  filial  affection  and  obedience  which 
they  continually  exhibit.  We  also  long  to  thank  them 
for  the  pious  liberality  with  which  they,  forgetting 
their  own  exigencies,  send  assistance  to  us,  knowing 
as  they  do  that  all  that  is  given   to  the  church   is  an 


500  Appendix. 

offering  made  to  God  ;  and  to  congratulate  them  on 
the  magnanimity  and  courage  with  which  they  despise 
the  rage  and  mockery  of  the  impious  ;  and  to  profess 
ourselves  obliged  to  them  for  the  eagerness  with 
which  they  are  hastening  to  offer  us  the  demonstra- 
tions of  their  love  to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the 
day  on  which,  fifty  years  ago,  we,  although  unworthy, 
received  the  office  of  episcopal  consecration.  Equally, 
too,  is  it  our  earnest  wish  and  desire  that  all  pastors 
of  churches  spread  far  and  wide  throughout  the  whole 
world,  receiving  these  our  words,  may  be  incited  by 
them  to  make  known  to  their  flocks  the  dangers, 
attacks,  and  troubles,  every  day  growing  more  grievous, 
with  which  we  are  distressed,  and  to  assure  them, 
that,  let  the  issue  of  affairs  be  what  it  may,  we  shall 
never  desist  from  denouncing  the  iniquities  perpe- 
trated before  our  eyes  ;  but  that  it  may  possibly  come 
to  pass,  by  reason  of  the  laws  lately  brought  forward 
and  of  others  still  more  severe  which  are  threatened, 
that  our  voice  may  only  be  able  to  reach  them  more 
seldom  and  with  great  difficulty,  on  account  of  the 
obstacles  that  may  be  interposed.  Nevertheless, 
under  these  circumstances,  we  urge  the  pastors  to 
warn  their  flocks  not  to  be  led  astray  by  the  fallacious 
arts  by  which  fraudulent  men  strive  in  their  speeches 
to  invent  and  misrepresent  the  real  situation  in  which 
we  are  placed,  either  concealing  its  real  acerbity  or 
vaunting  the  liberty  they  pretend  we  possess,  and 
asserting  that  our  power  of  action  is  subjected  to  no 


Appeiidix.  501 

arbitrary  control  ;  whilst  we  arc  able  to  sum  up  tbc 
whole  matter  thus  in  few  words — namely,  that  the 
church  of  God  in  Italy  suffers  violence  and  persecu- 
tion ;  the  Vicar  of  Christ  enjoys  neither  liberty  nor 
the  unfettered  or  complete  use  of  his  own  power. 

Such  being  the  situation,  we  deem  nothing  more 
opportune,  we  desire  nothing  more  earnestly,  than 
that  all  prelates,  who  by  manifold  proofs  have  bravely 
given  evidence  of  their  admirable  unanimity  in  main- 
taining the  rights  of  the  church,  and  their  distin- 
guished loyalty  towards  the  Apostolic  See,  would  stir 
up  the  faithful  over  whom  they  preside,  that  by  all 
means  that  are  legal  in  their  respective  countries  they 
would  urge  upon  their  rulers  a  more  careful  considera- 
tion of  the  serious  position  in  which  the  head  of  the 
Catholic  Church  is  placed,  and  to  the  adoption  of 
effectual  plans  for  the  removal  of  the  obstacles  to  his 
real  and  plenary  "independence."  And  forasmuch  as 
it  is  Almighty  God  alone  who  can  pour  light  into  men's 
minds  and  turn  their  hearts,  not  only  do  we  beseech 
you,  venerable  brethren,  that  you  would,  at  this  season 
especially,  supplicate  him  with  fervent  prayers,  but 
we  also  urgently  exhort  the  pastors  of  all  Catholic 
peoples  to  take  care  to  assemble  their  faithful  congre- 
gations in  the  consecrated  temples,  and  there,  from 
their  inmost  soul,  pour  forth  their  humble  petitions 
for  the  safety  of  our  Mother  the  Church,  for  the  con- 
version of  our  enemies,  and  for  the  termination  of  our 
so  grievous  and  so  widely  extended   ills.     We    have 


502  Appendix. 

confidence  that  God  will  accept  the  prayer  of  the 
people  that  call  upon  him,  whose  good  pleasure  is  over 
them  that  fear  him,  and  in  those  who  hope  in  his 
mercy. 

And  now,  venerable  brethren,  let  us  be  strong  in 
the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might ;  let  us  put  on 
the  armor  of  God,  the  breast-plate  of  justice,  and  the 
shield  of  faith  ;  let  us  fight  strongly  and  bravely  against 
the  powers  of  darkness  and  the  wickedness  of  this 
world.  Now  of  a  truth  has  the  fondness  for  disturb- 
ing and  throwing  into  confusion  all  things,  come  to 
such  a  pitch,  that,  like  a  raging  torrent,  it  threatens  to 
drag  all  things  headlong,  and  not  a  feiv  of  those  who 
have  been  the  abettors  and  partisans  of  revolution  now 
look  back  in  alarm,  terrified  at  the  results  of  their  own 
work.  But  God  is  with  us,  and  will  be  so  even  to  the 
consummation  of  the  world.  Those  ought  to  be 
affrighted  of  whom  it  is  written  :  "  I  saw  that  they  who 
work  iniquity  and  who  sow  griefs  and  reap  them,  have 
perished  by  the  breath  of  God,  and  have  been  con- 
sumed by  the  spirit  of  his  wrath."  But  for  those  that 
fear  God,  and  strive  in  his  name  and  hope  in  his  power, 
there  is  laid  up  in  store  mercy  and  protection.  We 
cannot  doubt  that  when  his  is  the  cause,  and  his  the 
battle,  he  will  help  to  victory  those  that  contend  for 
him. 


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